Joao Fonseca made history on Sunday by becoming the youngest Brazilian to clinch an ATP tournament title. The 18-year-old triumphed at the Argentina Open, defeating local favourite Francisco Cerundolo with a score of 6-4, 7-6(1).
Fonseca has swiftly emerged as one of the sport’s most promising young players. His successes include a victory at the ATP Next Gen Finals held in Jeddah last December and an impressive win against ninth seed Andrey Rublev in the Australian Open’s opening round last month. However, his journey in Melbourne ended when he was bested in a challenging five-set match by Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in the second round.
Reflecting on his victory, Fonseca remarked, “It is a dream; I work every day for these moments. Playing a final away from home, in Argentina, is difficult.” He expressed his joy after overcoming fifth seed Cerundolo amid the enthusiastic crowd in Buenos Aires. “It’s very special, and I’ve taken another step forward in my career. I’m closer to my dream of becoming world number one,” he shared during a press conference.
In his path to the final, Fonseca also overcame Argentines Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Federico Coria, and Mariano Navone before defeating Serbian Laslo Djere in the semifinals.
