Brazilian teenager João Fonseca wins his first tour-level tennis title

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Rising tennis star João Fonseca finished “an unbelievable week” with a straight sets victory over Francisco Cerúndolo in the Argentina Open final on Sunday to claim his first tour-level title.

The 18-year-old Brazilian, who won the Next Gen ATP Finals last December, beat his Argentine opponent 6-4, 7-6 (1) on clay.

Local fans in Buenos Aires provided a lively atmosphere at the final of the ATP 250 event which at times resembled an Argentina vs. Brazil soccer match.

“This was just an unbelievable week for me,” said Fonseca, who beat ninth-ranked Andrey Rublev in the first round of the Australian Open in January and is already looking to the future.

“Of course I want to be No. 1, of course I want to win Slams, titles,” he added, “but my dream is just to play tennis, and I am living it.”

The elite men’s tennis tour said Fonseca became the first man born in 2006 or later to win an ATP trophy, the 10th youngest champion in ATP Tour history and the youngest South American player to win a title in the ATP Tour era (since 1990).

Fonseca will rise to No. 68 in the rankings on Monday.

One of his likely rivals in the near future also spoke about Fonseca’s title in Buenos Aires.

“Impressive, Joao,” Carlos Alcaraz, the 21-year-old, four-time major champion, posted X.

Earlier, former player and three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray used the same social media platform to boost the potential rivalry.

“Can’t wait for the first Fonseca vs Alcaraz match,” he said.

Former No.1 Boris Becker was also excited about the Brazilian’s performance: “Watch this young man from Brazil. The sky is the limit…”

Next week, Fonseca will play at home at the Rio Open tournament, an ATP 500. Last year, he reached the quarterfinals.

Fonseca’s first adversary will be Frenchman Alexandre Muller, currently the 58th-best ranked. Their match is scheduled for Tuesday.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis