Fonseca fairytale ends: Lorenzo Sonego quells brilliance of 18-year-old Australian Open debutant

Given the task of facing off against the 18-year-old qualifier Joao Fonseca, Lorenzo Sonego found a way through in five sets on Thursday at the Australian Open 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

Fonseca was pencilled in as one part of a tie with Frances Tiafoe in the third round but instead it will be Sonego v Fabian Marozsan with Frances Tiafoe dumped out a short time ago. So perhaps not the showman battle that could've ensued but Sonego showed his experience and nous against a player who leaves full of credit.

The Brazilian who has been earmarked as the future of men's tennis and has been the subject of much chatter this week from Novak Djokovic to John McEnroe took his opening win over Andrey Rublev but couldn't recreate that level and had to dig deep to force a deciding set.

Read also

Tournament Centre Australian Open 2025: Schedule, results, Prize Money and TV Guide

It was in vain though as despite the crowd erupting with him and it becoming the longest match of his career from there, Sonego found a way to weather the storm and the fact it was Fonseca's longest match says a lot about him being in deep waters that he as of yet has not previously reached.

Also he couldn't join Beatriz Haddad Maia. It was a real carnival atmosphere as they both played on the same court back-to-back meaning that the Brazilian fans could see both of their leading lights.

From being down 30-0 on the serve of Fonseca in the latter stages of the deciding set, Sonego turned the tide and broke to head towards the winning line in a moment which proved to be decisive as he was unplayable for most of the final set as he took control against the tide of Fonseca

The Brazilian will be back and has shown himself to be an incredible talent this week but experience certainly won the day in Melbourne.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Unlock your ultimate tennis experience—subscribe today for exclusive access to top stories.

Subscribe