Joao Fonseca returns to Challengers event after disappointing outing at Indian Wells

Brazil’s young tennis star Joao Fonseca is set to compete at the Challengers event. The 18-year-old is already regarded as the one for the future, he has recently featured at the Indian Wells, where he was knocked out after losing in the round of 64 to Britain’s Jack Draper in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-0.

He arrived in the competition as one of the dark horses after an impressive outing earlier this year, where he lifted the Argentina Open after beating local player Francisco Cerundolo in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-6. Talking after the match, Fonseca stated happiness after securing the biggest achievement in his career. "Unbelievable week, even in Argentina there are some Brazilians cheering for me,” he said. “That’s just amazing. Every Brazilian, everyone from their country wants this support from your own country. For me, this [moment] that I’m living is just unbelievable. I want to thank my family, my friends and my sponsors for just helping me achieve my dream, which is to play tennis. Of course I want to be No. 1, of course I want to win Slams, titles, but my dream is just to play tennis, and I’m living it.”

After that defeat, Fonseca is now set to feature in the Challengers event in Phoenix. He has already booked his spot in the round of 16 after beating Pavel Kotov in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-4. He will now face Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round of the competition.

After beating Fonseca at the Indian Wells, Draper heaped praise on the youngster. "I think it's amazing for the tour and amazing for tennis that we’ve got a really, really young superstar coming, especially from Brazil with such a big fanbase," he said. "It seems like every tournament’s he’s going to, there’s so many fans in the stadium here today. To be a part of that and to play against him, see what he’s all about is really special for myself. And I saw it, he’s such an amazing talent, hits the ball so hard and he’s only going to improve. It’s just more experience at this level and he’s going to be a top, top player very soon."