Joao Fonseca has reached his first ATP 500 tournament at the Swiss Indoors, but he is not the youngest player to achieve that feat.
Fonseca is considered one of the best teenagers on the ATP Tour and he’s lived up to that billing with an impressive showing in Basel.
The Brazilian has defeated Jaume Munar, Denis Shapovalov, Jakub Mensik, and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to earn his first ATP 500 final appearance.
One player achieved the feat at a younger age than Fonseca, and he even managed it younger than Carlos Alcaraz too.
The youngest ATP 500 finalist is not Carlos Alcaraz or Joao Fonseca
At 19 years old, Joao Fonseca is still only the fourth youngest player to reach an ATP 500 final in tennis history.
The Brazilian has been beaten by Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Felix Auger-Aliassime, who all achieved the feat at a younger age.
Alcaraz and Auger-Aliassime were 18 years old for their first ATP 500 finals, while Zverev achieved the feat at 19.
Zverev and Auger-Aliassime lost their finals, while Alcaraz lifted the trophy in Rio by defeating Diego Schwartzman.
Fonseca plays his ATP 500 final against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who is looking for his first-ever ATP-level trophy.
Joao Fonseca explains why he skipped the ATP’s Asian swing
Fonseca’s climb up the rankings as a teenager has been one of the stories of the season, as he’s climbed nearly 100 places since the start of 2025.
The star skipped the Asian swing, which hampered his ATP Tour ranking, but he’s revealed the reason why he skipped the tournaments in Japan and China.
“We didn’t go to Asia this year, I was a little bit sick,” revealed the Brazilian. “I was working with my mentality and I’m getting the opportunities… I’m just very happy to be here.”
Fonseca will play Shapovalov again in the first round of the Paris Masters following his final in Basel.
