A Brazilian teenager, Joao Fonseca, became the youngest clay-court finalist since Carlos Alcaraz in 2021, reaching the title match at the Argentina Open.
In a thrilling semi-final, the 18-year-old defeated Serbian Laslo Djere 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 6-1. Despite facing a match point in the ninth game of the second set, he remained calm.
“This is special. Today was extremely challenging since I faced a very excellent player. “He went through qualifying, so he’s playing incredible tennis,” Fonseca remarked.
“We already understood Laslo’s ability to play. So I did my absolute best. Today was spent with my heart. Today was filled with pain. And we got through. There is only one match left, so let us go for it.”
Fonseca, rated 99th, reached his first final by saving two match points against Mariano Navone in a contest that lasted six minutes shy of three hours.
In Sunday’s final, he will face fifth-seed Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo. Cerundolo defeated world number two Alexander Zverev in the last eight and Spain’s Pedro Martinez 6-2, 6-4 in the semi-final.
If he wins the final, Fonseca will follow in the footsteps of Alcaraz, who won his first ATP Tour championship in Umag in 2021 at the age of 18.
