Faraj Benlahoucine, Media365, published on Sunday December 22, 2024 at 8:36 p.m.
Joao Fonseca won the Nextgen Masters this Sunday in Jeddah to the detriment of Learner Tien. The Brazilian did better than Carlos Alcaraz, titled in 2021 at the age of 18.
This week in Jeddah where the Nextgen Masters was held, the tournament bringing together the eight best tennis players aged twenty and under, Joao Fonseca defied the predictions from start to finish. The lowest ranked element of the eight participants (148th in the ATP world), the Brazilian won his five meetings, including this Sunday's final against Learner Tien (2-4, 4-3(8), 4-0 , 4-2) to win the best title of his career at 18 years old. Playing fair and varied tennis, the Brazilian got off to a bad start, losing the first set.
But subsequently he won the battle of the second set, completed in the tie-break with the narrow score of 10-8. There, Joao Fonseca took a clear advantage over the American, swept 4-0 in the third act, the fault among others being six unforced errors. Then in the fourth set, the Brazilian showed great solidity, not conceding the slightest break point, while taking care to convert one of the two he had. This victory, Joao Fonseca will remember it all his life because he adds a prestigious line to his record, a year after winning the US Junior Open against the same Learner Tien.
In addition, Joao Fonseca becomes the third 18-year-old player to win this rising stars tournament. Carlos Alcaraz was older than him when he triumphed in 2021, however the Brazilian is only the second youngest winner of the competition, behind Jannik Sinner (2019).
