Rising star Fonseca announces arrival with superb Australian Open upset against Rublev
The teenage Brazilian beat Andrey Rublev 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-6 (5) to mark his Grand Slam debut with a win. He’ll face Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the next round
Joao Fonseca, Australian Open, 2025 © Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP/SIPA
Teenage sensation Joao Fonseca marked his Grand Slam debut with a stunning 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-6 (5) upset of ninth-seeded Andrey Rublev to power his way into the second round of the Australian Open.
While on paper this is arguably the upset of the tournament so far, those who have followed this remarkable 18-year-old’s progress over the past couple of months will understand that this result had been in the making for quite some time.
Fonseca, currently ranked 112th in the world, is now on a 14-match winning streak – one that dates back to last month when he ended 2024 by taking the Next Gen Finals crown in Jeddah.
He backed that up with a dominant challenger title win at the start of the year, before breezing his way through three rounds of qualifying to set up today’s showdown with Rublev.
His run has also now compiled 22 consecutive sets won since losing the opener in the Next Gen Finals.
With much expectation already surrounding the young Brazilian heading into today’s encounter, Fonseca more than delivered with a performance that felt like the first real statement of intent from a player who looks destined to disrupt the established order at the top of men’s tennis, led by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
fonseca rises to the occasion
Fonseca edged a tight and tense opener against the Russian, superbly fending off the only break point of the set in the eighth game before powering his way through the tiebreak, converting set point at 6-1 with an excellent return winner that left Rublev well beaten.
The Brazilian then get off to the perfect start in the second set, breaking his opponent to love at the first time of asking as Rublev delivered an alarmingly untimely double-fault when break point down.
For only the second time in the contest, Rublev found his way to a break point on the Fonseca serve but was again unable to convert as the Brazilian continued to hold serve en route to a two-set lead.
To his credit, the world No 9 responded excellently, digging deep to stave off three further break points in the opening game of the third set before finally converting his fifth break point of the contest to earn a much-needed break in the fourth game. But back came the Brazilian, wiping out the break in the very next game.
The rest of the set went on serve before Fonseca once again kept his nerve to edge a tiebreak that ended up much closer than the first, despite the Brazilian surging into an early 4-0 lead.
Rublev fought his way back to 5-5, but it was the far less experienced youngster who showed greater composure when most needed to seal an emphatic statement victory in front of a delirious crowd heavily populated by Brazilian flags.
“I just enjoyed every moment in this court, this amazing court,” Fonseca said in his on-court interview.
“It is my first time playing in a huge stadium and my first main draw of a Grand Slam, so I just enjoyed playing.
“I really want to thank this amazing crowd. There are some Brazilians here… A lot of Brazilians here who are cheering for me and I just enjoyed every moment. Just thank you, a lot.”
a bright future for young fonseca
This is Fonseca’s first ever top-10 win, and he has done so on his debut appearance at a Grand Slam tournament. It is a result that couldn’t be much better cemented into the tennis history books already, and is surely a marker of phenomenal success to come.
His award will be a second-round meeting with Italian Lorenzo Sonego next.
For Rublev – who spoke openly prior to the Australian Open about his struggles with depression last season – this result may be easier to digest with the knowledge that he was up against something truly special. There was little in his power to stem the tide of the sheer precision, variety and power of his young opponent.
Joao Fonseca has been making ever bigger waves for the best of a year now, having burst onto the ATP with two wins in his first two appearances on tour at the Rio Open last February.
Today, he truly arrived as an undisputed star of the sport – and he has done so in some style.
There will be much more to come from this young Brazilian, and we may yet see it across the next fortnight in Melbourne.
For now, this is one to savour – for both fans and Fonseca alike.
