Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca became the 10th youngest champion in ATP Tour history after defeating Francisco Cerundolo in the Argentina Open finals.
The 18-year-old, ranked 99th in the world and playing in his first tour-level final, defeated the 28th-ranked player with a final scoreline of 6-4, 7-6 (7-1). Despite failing to serve for the match twice, Fonseca bounced back to win the tiebreak in a tense atmosphere in Buenos Aires.
With his win, the athlete declared: “Unbelievable week, even in Argentina there are some Brazilians cheering for me… That’s just amazing. Every Brazilian, everyone from their country wants this support from your own country. For me, this moment that I’m living is just unbelievable.”
He added: “Of course I want to be No. 1, of course I want to win Slams, titles, but my dream is just to play tennis, and I’m living it.”
In a social media post, the athlete said (translated): “Very happy with the title here in Buenos Aires. Thank you very much for the support from the Brazilians and Argentinians present, it was a very special week. Let’s go all out for more! 💪”
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Highlights of the game
Cerundolo, going for his fourth title, was broken in the first set. He fought off two match points when Fonseca served for the win at 5-4 and 6-5 in the second. Fonseca kept his cool in the tiebreak and eventually won the game.
Fonseca reached his first final with challenges. In the quarter-finals, he saved two match points to beat Mariano Navone in just under three hours. On the way to the title, he defeated four Argentinian players: Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Federico Coria, Navone, and Cerundolo.
The athlete made his mark in January by successfully qualifying for the Australian Open and then stunning top-10 player Audrey Rublev with a first-round victory.