After a brief hiatus, the young Brazilian talent is back on the professional tennis circuit, preparing for his debut at the ATP 250 in Brussels. Occupying 43rd position in the world rankings and being the number 7 seed in the Belgian tournament, Fonseca will face Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, currently 84th in the world. The first round match is scheduled for Monday or Tuesday.
This will be the second clash between the two athletes. Fonseca has the advantage in terms of history, having beaten van de Zandschulp by 2 sets to 0 in the 2024 Davis Cup. The 30-year-old Dutchman has a career-best ranking of 22nd and has on his resume a notable victory over the world number 1, Carlos Alcaraz, in the second round of the 2024 US Open, weeks before being surpassed by Fonseca in the Davis Cup.
The ATP 250 in Brussels, played on a hard court, promises strong emotions with the presence of four tennis players from the top 20. The main favorite for the title is the Italian Lorenzo Musetti, ninth in the ranking and the only one among the top ten in the competition.
João Fonseca’s last appearance on the court was on September 19, at the Laver Cup, where he defended Team Mundo and defeated the Italian Flavio Cobolli 2-0. Considered one of the revelations of the event designed by Roger Federer, the Brazilian generated great expectations for a possible confrontation with Carlos Alcaraz, which ended up not happening.
After his participation in Brussels, Fonseca will have a busy schedule, with commitments at the ATP 500 in Basel, starting on October 20, and the Masters 1000 in Paris. His last tournament on the circuit will be the ATP 250 in Athens or Metz. To end the year, a long-awaited exhibition game against Carlos Alcaraz is scheduled for December 8th in Miami.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
