Montreal, Aug 5 (IANS) NextGenATP star Joao Fonseca returned to action in style at the Montreal Masters 2026, overcoming former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(3), 7-5 in a dramatic clash and securing a place in the third round.
Competing in his first tour-level match since his third-round defeat to Roman Safiullin at Wimbledon last month, Fonseca looked on course for a straight-sets finish before dropping serve while attempting to close out the match at 5-4 in the second set.
The 19-year-old, however, won eight of the next nine points to seal victory and become the first Brazilian to reach the third round at the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 event since ATP No. 1 Club member Gustavo Kuerten.
“I think Joao from last year would’ve lost his mind,” Fonseca said in his on-court interview. “I’m a more mature Joao [now]. It’s been a couple of weeks without playing, so I knew, serving for the match, I would be a little bit more tense. I felt good, played some good returns, and then put the pressure on him. I think I needed that break at 5-5.”
Having also defeated Tsitsipas in Davis Cup action last year, Fonseca improved to 2-0 in their ATP head-to-head series. The #NextGenATP star will next face ninth seed Casper Ruud or Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
After falling to qualifier Tristan Schoolkate in his opening match at this event in 2025, Fonseca was determined to make a winning start this time around. The former Next Gen ATP Finals champion and two-time tour-level champion now owns a 17-12 record in 2026, according to the ATP Win/Loss Index, highlighted by his run to the Roland Garros quarterfinals in June, when he upset Novak Djokovic along the way.
“This year, playing with the big [guys]. I’ve played with Sinner, Alcaraz, Zverev, Shelton and Djokovic, so I’ve had a lot of experience,” Fonseca said. “This has helped me a lot figuring out how much my mental strength is one of my biggest weapons. That I can be as confident as this…These experiences that I’ve had in these two years [have been] really important for my development.”
Tsitsipas, who reached the final in Canada in 2018, has been working his way back into form this season. The former World No. 3 claimed his first title in 16 months in Gstaad nearly three weeks ago and leaves Montreal up six places to No. 47 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
--IANS
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