The Brazilian’s defeat marks the first elimination in his career in the opening round of a Grand Slam
lost for the first time in his career in the opening round of a Grand Slam, when he was defeated this Monday (19) by the American Eliot Spizzirri by 3 sets to 1 (6-4, 2-6, 6-1 and 6-2) in his debut at the Australian Open.
Never before has the Brazilian, one of the most promising players on the circuit and sensation of recent seasons, been left out of the second phase of a “major”. In his second participation in the Australian Open, Fonseca demonstrated that he is still far from his best moment, being beaten by a rival with less repercussion on the circuit.
Spizzirri needed two hours and 41 minutes to win one of the most attention-grabbing matches of his career. A debutant at the Australian Open, the American managed to overcome the first round of a Grand Slam for the second time – the previous one occurred at the US Open.
Despite having little experience in major tournaments on the tour, the 24-year-old player from Greenwich, who currently occupies his best position in the world rankings (85th), knew how to take advantage of Fonseca’s instability.
The Brazilian was far from the level that last year led him to beat players like the Russian Andrey Rublev, then ninth in the rankings, and which in 2025 gave him his first titles, in Buenos Aires and Basel. This time, Fonseca arrived in Australia conditioned by his physical situation and a back injury that forced him to withdraw from the Brisbane tournament.
The winner of the 2024 Next Gen Finals tried to react and gave that impression in the second set. However, he fell again and offered no resistance to the improvement and solidity of his rival, who frustrated the Brazilian’s debut in 2026, marked by more than 35 unforced errors.
Spizzirri, who achieved the biggest victory of his career, will play in the second round against the winner of the clash between Italian Luca Nardi and Chinese Yibing Wu.
*With information from EFE
Published by Nícolas Robert
