He may be 276 in the rankings at the moment, but Brazil’s Joao Fonseca is looking like a future star.
The 17-year-old locked up his second ATP quarterfinal on Thursday at Bucharest, and he did so in decisive fashion, backing up his opening-round win over sixth-seeded Italian Lorenzo Sonego (7-6(5), 7-5) with a 7-6(2), 6-2 victory over Moldova’s Radu Albot, the World No.139.
“I knew he was an experienced guy,” Fonseca said after the win. “He’s double my age, so I needed to fight to the end and I’m very happy with this win.”
The Brazilian teen, who was a hitting partner to top stars like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at last year’s ATP Finals in Turin, made his tour debut last year as a 16-year-old wild card at Rio, just 10 minutes from where he grew up.
This year he returned to Rio to reach his maiden ATP quarterfinal, and after two consecutive losses at Santiago and Estoril, he has found his form again in Bucharest. The former junior No.1 won the US Open Boys’ title last September, becoming just the second Brazilian to achieve the feat (also Thiago Seyboth Wild in 2018).
Fonseca, who will turn 18 in August, will face fourth-seeded Alejandro Tabilo next.
He is up to 240 in the ATP live rankings thanks to his two victories this week.