Argentina Open: Joao Fonseca, 18, wins first ATP Tour title to underline future star status
2025-02-17
Category: sports

Teenager Joao Fonseca underlined why he is one of tennis' most promising stars as he beat Francisco Cerundolo to claim his first ATP Tour title.The 18-year-old Brazilian beat Cerundolo 6-4 7-6 (7-1) in front of a boisterous Buenos Aires crowd at the Argentina Open.World number 99 Fonseca is ranked 79 places below Cerundolo but played with maturity and aggression to see off his opponent.Fonseca is the fourth youngest man since 2000 to win an ATP singles title - after Kei Nishikori, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.He is the 10th youngest champion in ATP Tour history and the first born in 2006 to win a title."Even in Argentina there are Brazilians cheering for me. That's amazing," Fonseca told the crowd afterwards."What I'm living is just unbelievable. I want to thank my friends and sponsors for helping me achieve my dream - to just play tennis."
Fonseca won the Next Gen ATP Finals - for the best male players aged 21 and under - at the end of 2024.He was the second-youngest champion at the tournament after world number one Jannik Sinner, who won in 2019, and who persuaded Fonseca to turn professional after a hitting session in 2023.Fonseca then began the year by stunning ninth seed Andrey Rublev in the first round of the Australian Open, with Spain's four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz tipping him as a future star.Against Cerundolo, he came back from an early break down in the first set to take the lead and served for the match at 5-4 and 6-5 up in the second.He was twice broken back by his experienced opponent, but Fonseca took total control in the tie-break, dropping just one point before clinching the title with an angled forehand winner.He will rise to 68 in the world rankings before travelling to his home tournament, the Rio Open, which begins on Monday.