The duel between the Brazilian, 31st in the world, and the home tennis player, 42nd, was highly anticipated as it brought together two rising stars on the ATP circuit
Brazilian João Fonseca debuted this Sunday (26) at the Madrid Open with a 2-1 defeat to the Spaniard Rafael Jódar, splits of 7/6 (7/4), 6/4 and 6/1, in 2h07. After losing in the first round due to being seeded and advancing to the third by WO, Fonseca showed frustration when he lost his serve at the beginning of the third set and smashed his racket.
The duel between the Brazilian, 31st in the world, and the home tennis player, 42nd, was highly anticipated as it brought together two rising stars at the Association of Professional Tennis Players (ATP). Fonseca and Jódar, both 19 years old, are the only tennis players under 20 among the top 100 in the rankings. They are also the first born since 2006 to win titles on the circuit.
The ATP classified the Spanish capital as the birthplace of a new rivalry in tennis, marking the first meeting between the two circuit sensations. “The first of many that promise to happen in the coming years”, predicted the entity.
Fonseca and Jódar enjoyed meteoric developments in the world rankings. The Brazilian was number 655 in the ATP in February 2023 and, a year later, he won his first title, in Buenos Aires, and rose to 68th position. Then he was champion in Basel and has 24th place as the best ranking of his career, in November 2025.
The Spaniard turned professional at the start of this season and was ranked 687th in the world in April last year. Making an impressive start to the clay season, winning 10 of his first 11 matches on the surface, he won his first title in Marrakech and reached the semi-finals in Barcelona, where he was only eliminated by the eventual champion, Frenchman Arthur Fils, in three sets. This week Jódar boasts the best position in the rankings in his short career.
He arrived for the clash with Fonseca with high confidence after achieving his first victory over a top 10. On Friday, he beat Australian Alex de Minaur, eighth in the world, by 6/3 and 6/1.
This Sunday’s game on the Manolo Santana court, the main one in the complex, It started with aggressive and powerful blows from both sides, as expected. The first break of serve happened in the fifth game, when the Spaniard confirmed his first break point. Fonseca, however, managed to recover immediately, winning the next two games without giving up points and scoring 4-3.
The match continued with the tennis players confirming their services until the tie-break. In the tiebreaker, the Spaniard achieved a small advantage by winning the first three points. With a gap on the scoreboard, Jódar had the peace of mind to play more aggressively and make it 5-1.
João Fonseca was patient, managed to defend himself well and was also aggressive to make it 5-4. Using his serve, Jodar got his first set point and with a return from the Brazilian, he closed the tie-break at 7/4.
The Brazilian started the second half wellbreaking his rival’s serve and confirming his serve in the sequence to take a 2-0 lead. Jódar had difficulty maintaining his serve in the sequence, but scored 2-1. The match had no further breaks in the second set, and the Brazilian closed at 6/4, tying the match at 1-1
The decisive set began with the Spaniard putting pressure on Fonseca and breaking his rival’s serve in the second game, leading 2-0. Frustrated, the Brazilian destroyed his racket and received a warning. Fonseca lost intensity and concentration. Jódar took advantage, opening 5-0. The Brazilian managed to win a game, avoiding the “tire” (6/0), but saw the Spaniard close at 6/1.
It was Fonseca’s first defeat to a lower-ranked opponent after four consecutive eliminations to top 10 tennis players.. He had fallen to Jannik Sinner, then second in the world, Carlos Alcaraz, leader of the rankings, Alexander Zverev, third, and Ben Shelton, sixth, in his last four tournaments. Jódar’s next opponent will be Czech Vit Kopriva, 66th in the rankings.
