João Fonseca – Photo: Instagram
João Fonseca, a 19-year-old Brazilian tennis player from Rio, defeated Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets, 6/3 and 6/4, in the ATP 500 Basel final in Switzerland on Sunday (26). The match lasted 1 hour and 26 minutes, marking Fonseca’s first title at the 500 level. With the victory, he earns 500 ATP ranking points, jumping from 46th to 28th, his career-best position. The triumph is Brazil’s first ATP 500 title since Gustavo Kuerten’s Masters 1000 win in Cincinnati in 2001.
Fonseca, who had already beaten the tournament’s defending champion in the first round, showed consistency throughout the week. He became the fifth-highest-ranked Brazilian in ATP history, trailing only Kuerten (1st), Thomaz Bellucci (21st), Thomas Koch (24th), and Fernando Meligeni (25th). Now, Fonseca prepares for the Paris Masters 1000, where he will face Canadian Denis Shapovalov, ranked 23rd.
- Dominant serving: Fonseca won 80% of first-serve points and committed only seven unforced errors.
- Decisive breaks: The Brazilian capitalized on two of four break point opportunities, maintaining control after the first set.
- Net efficiency: He approached the net 22 times, winning 16 points with this strategy.
Dominant run in Basel
Fonseca began the tournament by defeating Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, the defending champion and tour’s top server, 7/6(6), 6/3. In the round of 16, he overcame Czech Jakub Mensik, ranked 19th, in a tight match.
In the quarterfinals, Fonseca staged a comeback against Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who retired in the third set with Fonseca leading 4/1 after sets of 3/6 and 6/3.
The semifinal saw him defeat Spaniard Jaume Munar, 7/6(4), 7/5, in a nearly two-hour battle.
Rise in the world rankings
The Basel campaign elevates Fonseca to the ATP top 30 for the first time. He gains 18 spots, surpassing players like Mensik and Munar in the updated rankings on Monday (27).
Before the tournament, Fonseca was ranked 46th, having slipped after a loss in Brussels the previous week. The 500 points cement his status as Brazil’s leading tennis player, with two ATP titles this season.
Brazil’s history in ATP 500 tournaments
Brazil has few victories at the 500 level since the category’s reform in 2009. Kuerten leads with titles in Paris and Cincinnati in the 2000s.
Bellucci reached the semifinals in Hamburg in 2010 but fell short of a title. Fonseca is the fourth-youngest finalist in these tournaments’ history, behind Mats Wilander, Goran Ivanisevic, and Jim Courier.
- Kuerten: 3 ATP 500 titles (including Masters).
- Bellucci: Best result: quarterfinals in Acapulco (2011).
- Meligeni: Semifinal in Barcelona (1996, pre-reform).
- Koch: Quarterfinals in several events in the 1970s.
Preparation for Paris and upcoming challenges
Fonseca heads to France for the Paris Masters 1000, the season’s final major event. His opener against Shapovalov offers a chance for redemption after the Basel retirement.
The Paris tournament offers up to 1,000 points to the champion, potentially pushing Fonseca into the top 25. He arrives confident, buoyed by his Swiss title.
Coaches praise his maturity on fast courts, the dominant surface in year-end events.
Stats that defined the final
Davidovich Fokina, ranked 18th, held firm early but faltered under Fonseca’s return pressure. The Spaniard committed 22 unforced errors against Fonseca’s nine.
Fonseca hit 32 winners, using deep diagonals and net approaches effectively. His serve produced 12 aces, with a top speed of 210 km/h.
The final underscores Fonseca’s 80% point-win rate throughout the tournament.
Legacy of a rising season
Since winning the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires in February, Fonseca reached semifinals in Buenos Aires and Santiago. He climbed 117 ranking spots in 2025.
Coached by Larri Passos, Kuerten’s former coach, Fonseca blends power and variety in his game. The Basel title is the pinnacle of a journey that began in the junior circuit.
