João Fonseca is in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros after a 3 sets to 1 victory (7/5, 7/6, 5/7 and 6/2) over Norwegian Casper Ruud. It is the first time since 2004 that a Brazilian has advanced to this stage in the men’s individual competition. The last one was Guga Kuerten, who was in the stands at the Philippe-Chatrier court, in Paris.
“It’s a pleasure to have him here and win against a very difficult opponent in front of him, so I’m very happy,” said Fonseca about the Santa Catarina native’s presence in the crowd, shortly after the end of the match.
“He’s an idol for our sport, for our country, because of his charisma and humility. He was here for my first time at Roland Garros, my first match as a youth player.”
Regarding the game, the 19-year-old from Rio said he was happy with his performance in decisive moments of the first and second sets. When asked how his body is feeling after the last few matches, he was honest. “Tired,” he replied, earning some laughs from the crowd.
“It’s a new experience. Going into the second week of a Grand Slam is always difficult. Thank you to everyone who stayed here late. Let’s go with everything, the dream continues.”
