The carioca João Fonseca, 18, champion of the ATP of Buenos Aires last Sunday (16), opens this Tuesday (18) on the Open River of Tennis, in Rio de Janeiro, under spotlight from all over the country.
The debut duel will be against Frenchman Alexandre Müller, 60th in the world. He will play the second game of the Night Session of the Quadra Guga Kuerten, which will start at 19h, with Alexander Zverev (Ale) x Yuchaookete Bu (CHN).
Open river tickets are usually running out within a few days, but tickets in the 2025 edition were all sold shortly after their placed for sale in November last year.
By that time, Fonseca was already emerging as a great promise. Then, at the turn of the year, he won the Next Gen ATP Finals (which he gathered in Saudi Arabia, the eight best athletes of up to 20 of the 2024 season) and Challenger de Canberra, Australia.
Following, he won his three clashes in the preliminary phase of Australian Open and played a great game on his debut in the key of a Grand Slam – the series that brings together the four main tournaments of the circuit. He faced the then nine number of the world, the talented Russian Andrei Rubillev, and triumphed for 3 sets at 0.
On Sunday, he won his first ATP level tournament. Which only increased the expectation about his participation in the Open River.
“I’m in love with tennis and I usually schedule the family’s holidays during the Open River, to be able to enjoy the city and the tournament. When João Fonseca was champion of US Open Juvenil [em 2023]I already knew that we would have more special editions, “said gaucho Edilson Kettch, 39, accompanied by his wife and two children.
Fans prepare words of support to Fonseca, to the edge of the courtesy that foresees the rites of tennis. In Argentina, the Brazilian beat Argentine Francisco Cerubulo by 2 sets to 0 under shouts of “Almighty John”, apparent allusion to the Corinthian singing of “Almighty Timon”.
“We don’t want to put pressure on John, it’s a boy, but it’s impossible not to be euphoric. We want to see this story going on,” said Paulistana Renata Fernandes, 43, who traveled to Rio only for the tournament.
No tickets, fans and tourists clustered at the entrances of the Brazilian Jockey Club in Gávea, where the Open River takes place.
At least a dozen money-boats tried to sell tickets for Tuesday from R $ 800, which would almost pay for the decision, scheduled for Sunday (23). The final entrance was sold at $ 830 on the official channels.
“I had no interest in buying tickets at the time, but I will try to get at least one day. I want to be able to see João Fonseca and remember, years later, that I watched the beginning of this idol,” said Rio de Janeiro, 23, while trying negotiate with a money changing tree.
Rio Open is the only ATP 500 in South America and the stage of Fonseca’s first victory in the circuit elite a year ago.
João Fonseca was a feeling already in the 2024 edition of the tournament, reaching the quarterfinals. The good performance made him climb 313 positions in the world ranking of ATP (Association of Professional Tennis – Professional Tenns). Today, he is the 68th place.
