15 January,2025 08:15 AM IST | Melbourne | AFP
Andrey Rublev
Fearless teenage qualifier Joao Fonseca beat ninth seed Andrey Rublev on his Grand Slam debut on Tuesday in the biggest shock of the Australian Open so far.
Roared on in Melbourne by Brazilian fans decked out in yellow, the prodigious 18-year-old appeared totally unfazed as he stunned the Russian 7-6 (7/1), 6-3, 7-6 (7/5).
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Fonseca last month became the second-youngest winner of the NextGen ATP event since current World No.1 Jannik Sinner claimed the title, also aged 18, five years ago.
Ranked 112 in the world, Fonseca came into the first-round meeting with 27-year-old Rublev on a 13-match winning streak.
He had never faced a top-10 player before, but if he was nervous, he did not show it as they went toe-to-toe before Fonseca won the first set emphatically on the tie break.
The Brazilian raced into a 3-0 lead in the second, at one point beckoning the crowd to show some more appreciation. Fonseca took the second set with an ace.
He was in trouble in the third when Rublev broke for a 3-1 lead, but the youngster broke back immediately.
They went to the tie break again and Fonseca raced into a 4-0 lead, then staved off a mini Rublev fightback to seal the deal.
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