BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Rising tennis star Joao Fonseca finished “an unbelievable week” with a straight-sets victory over Francisco Cerundolo in the Argentina Open final on Sunday to claim his first tour-level title.
The 18-year-old Brazilian, who won the Next Gen ATP Finals last December, beat his Argentine opponent 6-4, 7-6 (1) on clay.
Local fans provided a lively atmosphere at the final of the ATP 250 event, which at times resembled an Argentina vs. Brazil soccer match.
“This was just an unbelievable week for me,” said Fonseca, who beat ninth-ranked Andrey Rublev in the first round of the Australian Open in January and was already looking to the future. “Of course I want to be No. 1. Of course I want to win Slams.”
The elite men’s tennis tour said Fonseca became the first man born in 2006 or later to win an ATP trophy, the 10th-youngest champion in ATP Tour history and the youngest South American player to win a title in the ATP Tour era (since 1990).
Fonseca will rise to No. 68 in the rankings Monday.
Impressive Joao! 🔥🤝🏻 Many congrats!!! 🫶🏻🇧🇷
— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) February 16, 2025
Can’t wait for the first Fonseca vs Alcaraz match ❤️🔥
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) February 16, 2025
“Impressive, Joao,” four-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz posted on X.
Former player and three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray also boosted the potential rivalry on X.
“Can’t wait for the first Fonseca vs Alcaraz match,” Murray posted said.
Former No.1 Boris Becker was also excited about the Brazilian’s performance: “Watch this young man from Brazil. The sky is the limit…”
Next week, Fonseca will play at home at the Rio Open, an ATP 500 event in which he reached the quarterfinals last year.
Fonseca’s first adversary will be Frenchman Alexandre Muller, currently the 58th-best ranked. Their match is scheduled for Tuesday.