Match Reaction
Fonseca inspired after Sinner defeat: ‘The degree is there’
Brazilian had three set factors within the first set however misplaced in straight units
March 11, 2026
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Joao Fonseca was competing within the fourth spherical at an ATP Masters 1000 occasion for the primary time.
By Sam Jacot
Since his breakthrough win in Rio de Janeiro in 2024, the tennis world has been asking the identical query: Can Joao Fonseca someday problem the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
The Brazilian teenager has solely fuelled that dialog within the time since. Fonseca closed the 2024 season by successful the Next Gen ATP Finals title, turning into simply the third 18-year-old to elevate the trophy after Alcaraz and Sinner. He carried that momentum into 2025, capturing tour-level trophies in Buenos Aires and Basel to additional strengthen the idea that he may be a part of the game’s new elite.
On Tuesday on the BNP Paribas Open, Fonseca lastly measured himself in opposition to a kind of benchmarks: Sinner. The Italian emerged with a hard-fought 7-6(6), 7-6(4) victory, however the 19-year-old left the courtroom inspired by how intently he competed with the World No. 2.
“I can play against them. I can do some great matches. But there are always the little things, the little important things that you need to work every day,” Fonseca mentioned.
“I mean, those little details are just super important, like when he played the important points, how he deals with it. So of course I still need a lot of experience, but I think the level is still there. Of course, I can play against them. [There are] many more things to improve, but I feel happy the way that I played, because I felt the level was pretty close today.”
Fonseca pushed Sinner onerous within the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Headvert assembly. He held three set factors within the first-set tie-break at 6/3 however couldn’t convert and led 4/3 within the second-set tie-break.
Afterward, the Brazilian praised Sinner’s skill to seek out his finest within the large moments.
“I believe he places a whole lot of stress… He received a whole lot of factors serving, a whole lot of vital factors. I’d say he places a whole lot of stress each time when he is nervous. When he is tight, he places a whole lot of stress. Doesn’t matter the time. He hits the ball strongly,” Fonseca mentioned.
“You can feel the ball, just heavy. That’s a thing that I felt, the intensity of the game. It’s all the games, 100 per cent, you need to be always ready, always focused. That’s the main difference, I think the intensity, the way that he plays important points.”
Fonseca, who has by no means confronted Alcaraz, loved a formidable week in Indian Wells, the place he reached the fourth spherical at an ATP Masters 1000 occasion for the primary time. The No. 35 participant within the PIF ATP Rankings dispatched Tommy Paul in straight units, saved two match factors en path to beating Karen Khachanov and breezed previous Raphael Collignon in his opener.
“As a tennis player, I can say that when we lose, we kind of feel sad or disappointed sometime, trying to figure out what I did right, what I did wrong. But of course I’m happy the way that I played,” Fonseca mentioned when requested about Sinner ending his run. “For myself, I don’t normally think that I need to be mad at myself when I played good, when I did everything good, and the opponent has the credit.”
