Joao Fonseca follows in Carlos Alcaraz’s footsteps with Argentina breakthrough
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Brazil's Joao Fonseca returns to Argentina's Mariano Navone during their Argentina Open quarter-final.
PHOTO: AFP
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BUENOS AIRES – Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca is still in the early stages of his tennis career, which seems to be on the right path towards great things after his latest achievement.
The 18-year-old saved two match points in defeating Mariano Navone at the Argentina Open on Feb 14 to become the youngest ATP clay-court semi-finalist since Carlos Alcaraz four years ago.
Fonseca came through 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 over home favourite Navone to reach his first tour-level semi-final. He twice rallied from a break down in the second set and saved two match points late in the third, before sealing a 2hr 53min victory.
“Those are the victories that we work for,” said the 99th-ranked player, who is the youngest semi-finalist on clay since Alcaraz at Umag in 2021.
“I was not playing my best and I fought until the end. Since the beginning I was believing I could win, even if I wasn’t playing my best, but I fought and now I’m in the semi-finals.”
Fonseca, who was crowned the ATP’s NextGen champion last season and started 2025 by stunning top-10 player Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open, will face Serb qualifier Laslo Djere for a place in the final.
That clash took place after press time on Feb 15.
Djere defeated Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 to reach his 20th tour semi-final.
Elsewhere, Daniil Medvedev reached his first semi-final of the year at the Marseille Open by defeating Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets.
The former world No. 1 from Russia came through 6-3, 6-2 in 78 minutes, saving five break points.
“I didn’t start the match well, he had a lot of break points,” said Medvedev, the 2021 champion in Marseille.
“I served good a couple of times. He made some mistakes. It’s part of tennis. Then I managed to take control of the match and I feel like I was a little bit of a better player.”
World No. 8 Medvedev has endured a disappointing start to the season, suffering second-round exits at the Australian Open and Rotterdam.
“I played two good matches here, I didn’t lose my serve,” added Medvedev, who next took on Hamad Medjedovic for a place in the final on Feb 16. The result of that match was also unavailable at press time.
Medjedovic, the world No. 96 from Serbia, defeated Germany’s 80th-ranked Daniel Altmaier 7-5, 6-7 (7-9), 6-4.
Defending champion Ugo Humbert reached the semi-finals for the fourth time by seeing off Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-4. The second-seeded Frenchman on Feb 15 faced Belgium’s Zizou Bergs, who made the last four when China’s Zhang Zhizhen was forced to retire after dropping the first set 7-5. AFP, REUTERS
