Brazilian João Fonseca (46th in the ATP rankings) got past Canadian Denis Shapovalov (23rd in the world and seeded number nine) and secured a place in the semifinals of the ATP 500 in Basel, Switzerland.
The game, in which the carioca started badly, but managed to react until seeking a comeback, had partial scores of 3/6, 6/3 and 4/1, with the rival giving up before the end.
The event organizers did not disclose the reason for the withdrawal. Before leaving the game, the athlete went to the locker room and quickly returned to the court.
In the fight for a place in the final, Fonseca, 19 years old, will face Spaniard Jaume Munar, 28, number 42 in the ATP world rankings. It will be the first confrontation between the two.
With his best result in an ATP 500, the Brazilian will return to compete in a semifinal after almost seven months. The last time he reached the penultimate stage of a tournament was in March, when he also reached the final of the Challenger Phoenix and won the competition with a victory over Alexander Bublik in the decision.
Against the Canadian, the Brazilian suffered in the first points and conceded the first set. But Fonseca recovered, tied the match in the second set and was winning the decisive part with two breaks, until he saw his rival give up.
With the victory in the quarter-finals in Basel, João Fonseca reaches 1,315 points in the world rankings, provisionally remaining in 39th position.
In the season’s race, the Brazilian will reach 35th place, indicating that he can try to close 2025 dreaming of being seeded at the Australian Open.
