Joao Fonseca claimed his maiden ATP Tour title on Sunday in Buenos Aires, winning the final of the Argentina Open in straights sets against Francisco Cerundolo.
In doing so, the 18-year-old became the youngest South American to win a title since 1990 and the youngest male tennis player to win a clay event since Carlos Alcaraz in 2021.
Fonseca also jumps 31 spots up the rankings to become the No.1-ranked Brazilian man.
Coming into the match as a +110 underdog at bet365 (bet365 review) against the world No.28 Cerundolo, Fonseca put together a brilliant performance to win 6-4, 7-6.
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. – Joao Fonseca.
It was not without its nervy moments, as the teen twice failed to serve out the match at 5-3 and 6-5 in the second set.
But his mental strength prevailed in the end with Fonseca playing a scintillating tiebreak to avoid a deciding set.
“Unbelievable week, even in Argentina there are some Brazilians cheering for me,” Fonseca said.
“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.
“I want to thank my family, my friends and my sponsors for just helping me achieve my dream, which is to play tennis.
“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.”
Fonseca’s run in Buenos Aires comes after he took the Australian Open by storm in January, defeating world No.9 Andrey Rublev in his maiden Grand Slam appearance.
The up-and-coming star now heads to his home country of Brazil, where he takes on Alexandre Muller in the opening round of the Rio Open on Tuesday.
Top tennis betting sites have Fonseca as a $1.38 favourite to win his first match of the ATP 500 tournament, despite the tight turnaround.
Fonseca has also shortened dramatically to win the French Open and Wimbledon later this year, paying around the +3300 quote for both following his victory at the Argentina Open.
