Joao Fonseca earned a huge win on his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open (Image: Getty)
Joao Fonseca pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament so far as he made his debut.
The 18-year-old came through qualifying to reach the main draw at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time but had a tough draw, facing No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev.
Fonseca took the challenge in his stride, shocking the former quarter-finalist in straight sets.
Despite being ranked down at No. 112, the tennis world has been following Fonseca’s rise for a while and expected big things when he turned up in Melbourne for qualifying.
The Brazilian teenager has long been touted as the next big thing in tennis and he proved his supporters right by winning the Next Gen ATP Finals in December – a tournament for top players under the age of 21, which has previously been won by and .
Fonseca carried his form into the new season, picking up a Challenger title in Canberra before storming through the qualifying draw. But he was handed a brutal draw for his Grand Slam debut, coming up against Rublev.
The 18-year-old rose to the occasion, announcing himself on Tuesday as he sent Rublev packing with a statement 7-6(1) 6-3 7-6(5) victory on a packed Margaret Court Arena.
Joao Fonseca announced himself at the Australian Open (Image: Getty)
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The ninth seed could only smile and laugh as they shook hands at the net, conceding that Fonseca was the better player.
Afterwards, the 18-year-old was asked what he thought of his own tennis. ” I mean, not bad!” he smiled, earning laughs from the crowd.
“I just enjoyed every moment on this court, it’s an amazing court. It’s my first time playing in a huge stadium and my first main draw of a Grand Slam so I just enjoyed playing.
“And I really want to thank this amazing crowd. There are some Brazilians here, a lot of Brazilians here who are cheering for me and I just enjoyed every moment. Just thank you a lot.”
Asked how he rose to the occasion on his Grand Slam debut, Fonseca added: “I was just focusing my game like trying to put no pressure on myself, playing with a top-10 guy in a huge stadium and just try to call the crowd to help me.
“I just enjoyed playing. I was just playing my game and, well, now I’m in the second round.”
The world No. 112 will now face Lorenzo Sonego as he looks to keep his dream debut going. Despite being a newcomer to the professional circuit, Fonseca has already played and beaten the Italian in Bucharest.