Fonseca beats Fearnley at Indian Wells to set Draper clash

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Teen tennis sensation Joao Fonseca won his debut match at the Indian Wells Open in California on Thursday night, beating Jacob Fearnley in a gritty three-set clash.

The 18-year-old has taken the ATP Tour by storm this year, defeating world No.9 Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open before winning his maiden title in Buenos Aires last month.

Now, the Brazilian is making a splash at Masters 1000 level, edging out No.81-ranked Fearnley 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 in a back-and-forth affair.

“I think it was a great debut,” said Fonseca. 

“It was very difficult to play here. 

“It was windy, and I think it’s the biggest court I played on so far, so I’m just very excited about the way that I played today.”

Despite tennis bookmakers favouring Fonseca pre-match, he had to overcome several hurdles to come away victorious.

After losing the middle set 6-1 and falling behind by a break in the deciding set, he won five straight games to close out the match and book his spot in the second round.

“I’m very happy with the way that I fought,” he said.

“I was a break down in the third, things were not very good for me, and I continued focusing on my game, so I’m very happy.

“I just love playing with a crowd, so the support from them is very nice.

“It’s an honour seeing kids inspired by me, so just being here with them makes me more excited to play.”

The wildcard faces another young player on the rise in the second round, with No.13 seed Jack Draper seen as an outside chance for several of this year’s major titles.

Top tennis bookie BetOnline is giving Draper a slight edge at -149.25 for the pair’s first meeting on Saturday, with Fonseca priced at +120 to keep his run going.