João Fonseca, a 19-year-old Brazilian tennis player, won a historic victory on Sunday, May 31, by defeating Norwegian Casper Ruud 3-1, with scores of 7/5, 7/6, 5/7 and 6/2, securing his spot in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros.
This is the first time a Brazilian has reached this stage of the tournament in 22 years, since Guga Kuerten achieved the feat in 2004.
Now, Fonseca will face Jakub Mensik, the world No. 27, who defeated Andrey Rublev 3-2 in sets.
The match was intense and lasted 3 hours and 55 minutes, making it the second longest of João Fonseca’s career.
He had played an even longer match in the previous round against Novak Djokovic, which lasted 4 hours and 53 minutes.
Against Ruud, Fonseca started well, breaking the Norwegian’s service from the very first game.
However, Ruud recovered and the game became evenly balanced, with Fonseca closing the first set 7-5.
The second set was even more disputed, with the two players deciding point by point, and Fonseca winning in the tie-break.
The third set was in favor of Ruud, who won 7-5, and stayed in the running for the match.
In the final set, Fonseca dominated, winning 6-2.
With this victory, João Fonseca achieves an important milestone in his career, demonstrating his growth and skill in clay at Roland Garros.
The next challenge will be against Jakub Mensik, who is also in good form, having beaten Rublev in a difficult match.
The expectation is for an evenly balanced match, with both players seeking a win to progress to the semifinals.
Now, Fonseca’s performance in the next game is to be awaited and seen if he will be able to maintain the level of play presented so far.
The road to the final is open, and the Brazilian has a chance to make history in the tournament.
