After rising 20 spots, Fonseca makes his debut at Miami Masters 1000
After claiming his third title of the season at the Challenger 175 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, 18-year-old Brazilian tennis player João Fonseca rose 20 spots to 60th in the world rankings.
On Monday (Mar. 17), the day after his victory, Fonseca met his opponent for the opening round of the Miami Masters 1000. He will face 19-year-old American Learner Tien, whom he defeated in the final of the Next Gen ATP Finals in December, an event featuring the top tennis players under 20. The main draw of the Miami Masters begins on Wednesday (19).
On Sunday night (16), Fonseca was ranked 80th when he won the Phoenix Challenger final against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik (ranked 82nd), clinching the match 2-0 with scores of 7/6(5) and 7/6(0).
The Brazilian is continuing his rise: he began the season ranked 145th and moved up to 112th after winning the Challenger 125 title in Canberra, Australia. He then defeated a qualifier at the Australian Open, becoming the youngest man ever to debut in a Grand Slam’s main draw. In the first round, Fonseca beat Russian Andrey Rublev, the world number nine.
At the end of January, Fonseca broke into the world’s top 100, becoming the second youngest tennis player, after Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, to achieve this feat. Since then, he has continued to climb the rankings, and in February, he captured the ATP 250 title in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In just three months, the rising star of world tennis has earned approximately $332,000 in prize money.
