Who is Joao Fonseca? 18-year-old Brazilian wonderkid rides winning streak into Australian Open

On By Littum

Qualifier Joao Fonseca stunned ninth seed Andey Rublev on his grand slam debut at the Australian Open to extend his winning streak to 14 matches.

The 18-year-old Brazilian, who is fast becoming a superstar in his home country, won the ATP NextGen Finals in December to follow in the footsteps of grand slam champions Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

He backed that up by winning the Challenger in Canberra at the start of the year and progressing through three qualifying rounds at the Australian Open.

Fonseca was tipped as one to watch in Melbourne, but he has now claimed the win of a lifetime by beating three-time Australian Open quarter-finalist Rublev in straight sets.

“Not bad huh,” an emotional Fonseca said in his courtside interview at Margaret Court Arena after the 7-6 6-3 7-6 win.

“I just enjoyed every moment on the court, it’s my first time playing in a big stadium, my first time playing in a grand slam, so I just enjoyed playing.

“I really want to thank this amazing audience. There are a lot of Brazilians here and I want to thank a lot of you.

(Getty Images)

“I focused on my game and tried not to put pressure on myself playing against a top-10 guy in a big stadium. I just played my game and now we’re in the second round.”

Fonseca, who has an explosive forehand and all-court game, played impressively in both tiebreaks – especially during the tension of the third-set decider.

“I just tried to put all the intensity into the important wins. That’s one thing about myself, in the important points I play better. That was the difference today.”

Fonseca also quoted Roger Federer when asked about his natural talent, replying: “As Roger says, ‘Talent is not enough without hard work. I’ve put in a lot of work. That’s it.'”

(Getty Images)

World no. 112 grew up in Rio and his talent has been known for some time, winning the US Open junior title in 2023.

Fonseca also got the chance to be a hitting partner for Alcaraz and Sinner ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin.

He first announced himself by making his ATP Tour debut at his home tournament in Rio as a 16-year-old wildcard.

Fonseca was ranked outside the top 700 a year ago, but reached the quarterfinals of the Rio tournament at the age of 17 a few months later.

Fonseca won the NextGen Finals in December

Fonseca won the NextGen Finals in December (Getty Images)

Fonseca then claimed the biggest title of his career at the Next Gen Finals in Saudi Arabia, triumphing over the best teenagers in the world.

It is a tournament previously won by the likes of Alcaraz in 2021 and Sinner in 2019, as well as Stefanos Tstispas in 2018.

He arrived at the Australian Open qualifiers looking to reach his first grand slam main draw, only to continue his winning streak and reach the first round.