Brazilian João Fonseca won his first victory of the season this Tuesday (17) when he debuted with triumph at the Rio Open. The Rio native beat Ceará’s Thiago Monteiro 7/6 (7-1) and 6/1, in 1h33 of the match.
It was Fonseca’s first positive result in 2026. Outside of the Brisbane and Adelaide tournaments because of a back injury, the world number 38 had been eliminated in the debuts of the Australian Open and the ATP in Buenos Aires. His last victory until then had occurred at the Masters 1000 in Paris, in October last year.
Despite the clear majority of the public supporting Fonseca, who played in his hometown, the atmosphere in the stadium was respectful towards the two tennis players. Monteiro also received demonstrations of encouragement and was widely applauded when entering and leaving the court.
It was the first confrontation between the two in an ATP tournament. They are 12 years apart. Fonseca, 19, is in 38th position in the ranking, while Monteiro, 31, is 208th.
In the round of 16, João Fonseca will face Peruvian Ignacio Buse, currently 91st in the rankings, who eliminated Brazilian Igor Marcondes (237th).
