Brazil's 18 Year Old Tennis Phenom Joao Fonseca Made His Official Ascension To Stardom This Morning As He Obliterated Top 10 Player Andrey Rublev At The Aussie Open
WILLIAM WEST. Getty Images.Six days ago my favorite sleep deprived ginger dipped the pen and waxed poetic about Brazilian up and coming tennis star Joao Fonseca. It's a wonderful blog as he professes his love for the new kid on the block.
Back in February Fonseca came onto my radar. Admittedly I'm not scanning the Challenger Tour scene with a fine-tooth comb, partially because those betting lines are not offered in New York. Don't get me wrong, I find myself watching some obscure tennis tournaments over the course of the year. When the young Brazilian stacked a few wins in Rio during the South American swing, my eyes widened completely. At his age, what he was able to do to Fils and Garin behind a raucous home crowd was nothing short of electric. Blutman and I started texting about him. Just a few adults talking about a then-17 year old kid. Nothing to see here.
Well, there's no more hiding on the lower circuit now. It's bright lights time and boy is this guy built for them. Early this morning he faced Russia's Andrey Rublev in the first round of the AO. The moment that matchup came out with the draw reveal all your attention goes right there. Welcome to the big show, your first main draw slam opponent is ranked in the top 10 and won a 1000 Masters title last year. Good luck kid.
What proceeded to happen was a moment in time —Fonseca's official arrival. It kinda felt like Alcaraz's first big US Open match against Tsitsipas (I was in the building for that).
Fonseca was unconscious and it was a spectacle to behold.
This dude's forehand is a legit rocket launcher.
There's just too much power here and it's overwhelming. Rublev had no answer.
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Dude is hitting a harder forehand than ANYBODY. When the match was over Rublev couldn't do anything but smile. Sometimes you're just on the train tracks and a full speed locomotive is coming through. That train was from Brazil. He didn't just win his first ever grand slam match. He didn't just beat a top 10 player in his first grand slam match. He won it in straight sets…
Safe to say Fonseca has had a decent month…
And by the way, this wasn't some monumental Vegas upset. I grabbed Joao at just +135 in this one. That's the kind of respect he's already garnering despite never playing a slam match in his life. Next he gets Italy's Lorenzo Sonega and is already a -455 favorite. If he wins that, a date with Frances Tiafoe potentially awaits in the 3rd round. The sky is the limit with this guy. Is the next big three of tennis Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Joao Fonseca? Sign me up.