SUMMARY
- Joao Fonseca is one of the most promising young players on the rise.
- An old clip of Fonseca's surfaced online, where a young ball girl can be seen "falling" in his proximity.
Brazilian tennis star Joao Fonseca marked his arrival on the ATP tour with a thumping victory in Rio. Fonseca took on Arthur Fils in front of his home crowd and walked away with his first ATP victory. As the youngster faces the spotlight, he is sure to win a lot of hearts along the way. Moreover, it seems he already has an ardent admirer—a young ballgirl.
Fonseca scored a stunning victory over the Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up, Fils. The young Brazilian was in control of the match from the start. He bageled Fils in the first set, showing off his prowess in front of a raucous home crowd. Joao went on to clinch the match 6-0, 6-4.
His first tour-level victory will always be special. As he basked in the moment, and the adoration of the crowd, an adorable old clip of Joao surfaced online recently.
tenemos una chica alcanzapelotas que está perdidamente enamorada de joao fonseca pic.twitter.com/bQsLkQrTWM
— omar erre (@om_visuals) January 19, 2024
In the short clip, Joao can be seen getting ready for his match in Argentina while a young ballgirl sits on the bleachers. As he walked away, the girl “fell in love.” She leaned back until she was half lying on her back after seeing Fonseca from such close quarters.
Fonseca won the Challenger Buenos Aires 2 doubles match. He then showed signs of grace as he posed with the ballgirl after his match and even gifted her his t-shirt.
He then gifted her a shirt and took a photo together
h/t @om_visuals pic.twitter.com/VYI3ufRtQC
— Juan Ignacio (@juanignacio_ac) February 21, 2024
Joao Fonseca will hope to carry his winning momentum forward when he takes on Chilean player Cristian Garin. He deserves all the love for his incredibly dominant show against Fils.
Joao Fonseca scripted history in Rio
The 17-year-old went into the match ranked No. 655 in the world. With his victory over Arthur, he is surely set to break into the top 450 players in the world.
Fonseca commandeered the match from the first shot. He hit 17 winners, with 11 of them on his forehand side, compared to 10 by Fils. Joao also won six break points in his thrashing of Fils. Moreover, Fonseca became the first player born in 2006 to win an ATP Tour match.
Special night. Special talent 💫
17-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca was FLAWLESS to secure a first-ever ATP win! pic.twitter.com/TLTzPZYTDh
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 21, 2024
“It couldn’t be better than this to get my first win 10 minutes away from my house and with all my friends, all my family watching. It’s very special and let’s go for another one in the second round. I was focused on making every ball. Obviously I was nervous, I was shaking, but I wanted so much to win, I made it,” he said (via ATP Tour).
This is just the beginning of Joao Fonseca’s career. If he can keep playing in this manner, he will be brushing shoulders with the best very soon.