Muller breaks Rio Open fans’ hearts by ousting Fonseca in first round

Joao Fonseca‘s Rio Open is over after just one match.

The 18-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals of this ATP 500 event last February, lost to Alexandre Muller 6-1, 7-6 (4) in the opening round on Tuesday night at the Jockey Club Brasileiro in Rio de Janeiro. Muller did not get broken a single time while advancing after one hour and 32 minutes.

Fonseca was coming off his first ATP title in Buenos Aires on Sunday, leaving him without much recovery time in either the mental or physical department. The Brazilian came out flat in front of the home crowd, dropping the first five games of the match. He won only a single game in the entire first set.

The world No 68 raised his level considerably in set two, but he still could not find any way through the Muller serve. In the tiebreak, the 60th-ranked Frenchman took control right from the start with an immediate mini-break. It ended when Muller forced Fonseca into a backhand error that sailed wide.

“It was tough to play against such a great player and perhaps 5,000 (fans), but I’m very happy to get the victory today,” Muller said during his on-court interview. “I was feeling calm in half of the match. I didn’t take my chances to take the break in the second set and then he was playing better and better. I played a great tiebreak to finish the match.”

Muller will meet Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Wednesday. Etcheverry lost to Fonseca in the Buenos Aires first round last week.

Rio de Janeiro ATP 500, other first-round results:

• Camilo Ugo Carabelli (LL) beat Pedro Martinez Portero (7): 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
• Alexander Zverev (1) beat Yunchaokete Bu: 7-6 (4), 6-4
• Francisco Cerundolo (4) beat Hugo Gaston: 7-6 (9), 6-0
• Jaime Faria (LL) beat Tomas Barrios Vera (Q): 6-2, 7-5
• Mariano Navone beat Roberto Carballes Baena: 6-4, 6-3
• Damir Dzumhur beat Dusan Lajovic: 6-3, 6-4
• Sebastian Baez (5) beat Roman Andres Burruchaga (LL): 6-3, 7-5
• Tomas Martin Etcheverry beat Corentin Moutet: 6-3, 7-6 (1)
• Luciano Darderi beat Hugo Dellien (Q): 7-6 (2), 2-2 ret.
• Jaume Munar beat Thiago Seyboth Wild: 6-4, 3-6, 6-0
• Chun-Hsin Tseng (Q) beat Alejandro Tabilo (3): 6-2, 7-5
• Thiago Monteiro (WC) beat Facundo Diaz Acosta: 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3)
• Francisco Comesana beat Gustavo Heide (WC): 7-6 (2), 6-7 (7), 6-3
• Nicolas Jarry (6) beat Juan Manuel Cerundolo (Q): 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
• Alexander Shevchenko beat Felipe Meligeni Alves (WC): 6-4, 6-2

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