WHAT HAPPENED: JOÃÃÃÃÃOOOOOO! FONSEEEEECCA! JOÃÃÃÃÃOOOOOO! FONSEEEEECCA!
Get used to hearing that refrain ring out in stands all across the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center when João Fonseca, the next Next Gen star in the making, takes the court, as his cohorts checkered the stands at his 2025 US Open first-round match with Brazilian flags and soccer jerseys, lifting him to a compelling victory on Monday.
The intense sun beating down on the Grandstand could not melt the 19-year-old’s momentum, as Fonseca delivered a 7-6, 7-6, 6-3 victory over Miomir Kecmanovic in opening round action.
“It means a lot to have the Brazilian flag with me,” Fonseca said during the on-court interview. “Thank you to all the Brazilians who supported me today.”
Before last Thursday’s draw, both Fonseca and Kecmanovic would have been considered tough first-round “floaters” as only three spots currently separate the Brazilian and the Serb in the world rankings and both are in the Top 50. As it turned out, the 42nd-ranked Fonseca and No. 45 Kecmanovic ended up getting to know each other very well at the US Open — and very early.
The first two sets went to tiebreaks, with the opening frame going to a decider after Fonseca came back from a 2-5 deficit and ran off three straight games to stay alive. Then both tiebreakers were as close as the action that preceded them. The players split the first six points of the tiebreak before the Brazilian won the final four points to go one set up.
In the second set tiebreak, Kecmanovic was up a minibreak and was two points away from leveling the match at 5-2. Fonseca, once again, turned on the jets. He served back-to-back aces to begin a five-point run, and his backhand volley pass at the net on set point touched off raucous scenes and incessant chants from the pro-Fonseca crowd.
Fonseca was treated by the trainer during a changeover in the third set, and looked visibly ill in between some points. But whether it was the treatment or the energy from the crowd, Fonseca fought through his ailment to break Kecmanovic in the seventh game to go up 4-3. When Kecmanovic double-faulted on match point, the soccer-style celebration from the crowd was well and truly on.
“I think all the kids [in Brazil], when they play tennis, they want to become famous and want to represent the country — it’s a dream,” Fonseca said. “We want to do it for a country that I love. It’s an honor, and I’m going to keep living this dream.”
WHAT IT MEANS: At this time last year, Fonseca lost in the final round of qualifying to American Eliot Spizzirri, coming agonizingly close to qualifying for his first-ever major after losing 4-6 in the final set. One year (and 117 spots up the rankings) later, Fonseca not only has featured in the main draw at each of the Slams this year, including when he defeated Andrey Rublev in the first round as a qualifier in Melbourne for his first-ever Top 10 win (and becoming the first teen to defeat a Top 10 player in his Slam debut since Mario Ancic downed Roger Federer in Melbourne in 2002), the Brazilian has won at least one match in all of the majors in 2025.
“It’s my first time playing all these big tournaments and it’s the first time playing the main draw of the US Open. I’m loving [my] career here on tour,” Fonseca said. “I’m finding out about new countries, new places, new tournaments. It’s a lot of expectations, a lot of pressure for a 19-year-old, but I love doing what I love.”
MATCH POINT: Fonseca advanced to the third round at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and for him to get as far in his third successive Grand Slam, he’ll have to defeat No. 21 seed Tomas Machac, who defeated Luca Nardi in straight sets in first-round action on Sunday.
