Joao Fonseca reached a new milestone in his soaring career on Saturday when he advanced to the IEB+ Argentina Open title match, becoming the youngest ATP finalist on clay since Carlos Alcaraz in 2021.
The 18-year-old overcame Serbian Laslo Djere 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-1 in a heavy-hitting and dramatic semi-final, during which Fonseca relied on vocal Brazilian fans to push him over the finish line in Buenos Aires.
“Really special,” Fonseca said when reflecting on the win. “Today was really difficult, against a really good player. He went through qualies, so he’s playing amazing tennis. We already knew how Laslo can play, he won an ATP 500 [in 2019]. So, I played my best. Today was with my heart. Today was with pain. And we got through. There is one match to go, so let’s go for it.”
Fonseca served for the match at 5-3 in the second set, but played a loose game and was broken by the 29-year-old. Aiming to quickly rebound, the teenager held his first match point on return in the next game, but missed a backhand long to let slip his chance. Djere tallied four consecutive games, sending the match into a decider.
It was another physical test for Fonseca, who in the quarter-finals saved two match points en route to a two-hour, 54-minute win against Mariano Navone. Against Djere, the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion called the physio at 2-1 in the third set and received treatment on his right abdomen.
Fonseca found his best tennis when he needed it most, firing 27 forehand winners and 11 from his backhand, according to Infosys ATP Stats. He held six break points in the opening set, but was unable to convert. Forced into a tie-break, Fonseca held his nerve and struck the ball confidently — ripping an inside-in forehand stunner at 3/1.
The #NextGenATP star has needed a deciding set in three of his four matches this week, the latest being a two-hour, 36-minute victory in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the former World No. 27.
The youngest South American ATP Tour finalist since former World No. 20 Argentine Jose Acasuso in 2001 (Buenos Aires), Fonseca will seek his first ATP Tour title against fifth seed Francisco Cerundolo..
Fonseca is up 25 spots to No. 74 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, securing him a new career high on Monday. He gained entry into Buenos Aires via the Next Gen Accelerator programme, which was expanded this year, allowing 20-and-under players ranked in the Top 250 eligibility for one ATP 250 main draw spot and two ATP 250 qualifying events this season.
Just 12 months ago, Fonseca earned his maiden tour-level match win at his home tournament, the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro. Then World No. 655, Fonseca will receive a hero’s welcome when he returns to home soil next week as the hottest prospect in the sport. But first he will be focussed on the task at hand Sunday, trying to bring a trophy with him back to Brazil.
Argentina’s highest-ranked player, Cerundolo, raced past Spaniard Pedro Martinez 6-2, 6-4 in the last four. The 26-year-old struck 38 winners, including 24 from his forehand, en route to a one-hour, 33-minute win, during which Cerundolo saved all seven break points he faced.
Aiming to go one step further than his 2021 runner-up finish, Cerundolo is seeking his fourth tour-level title.
“I’m super happy to be in the final again here. It feels different here,” said the home favourite. “That was my first final and at that time, I was a really inexperienced player. Now I’m more experienced and I know how to deal with these moments. I think this one is also special because it’s with all the people. The other one was during the pandemic, so I was here by myself with 20 people.”
In the quarter-finals, Cerundolo earned the highest-ranked win of his career by upsetting World No. 2 Alexander Zverev, a victory that came just two days after the Argentine defeated his younger brother Juan Manuel Cerundolo. The final will mark Cerundolo’s first meeting with Fonseca.
“I’m going to expect a really tough match. Joao is an amazing player, a top guy. For sure he will be there in the top of the rankings soon,” Cerundolo said. “It’s going to be super tough. He’s been playing amazing this week.”