João Fonseca – Foto: Juarez Santos / Shutterstock.com
João Fonseca, the number 7 seed at the ATP 250 in Brussels, faces Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in the first round of the tournament this Tuesday, October 14, 2025, on the covered central court in Belgium. The 19-year-old Brazilian, currently ranked 45th in the ATP, aims to maintain positive momentum after recent wins in the Davis Cup and Laver Cup. The match, starting around 2:30 PM Brasília time, features a direct clash of aggressive styles on indoor hard court.
The Dutchman, ranked 86th and aged 30, arrives with a season record of 25 wins and 27 losses. The two have met before in 2024 during the Davis Cup, with Fonseca winning 2-0 in straight sets. Currently, the score shows the first set won by van de Zandschulp 7-5 after a long game with six set points, and the second set begins 0-1 for the European, who confirmed his opening service game.
Fonseca, Brazil’s number 1 and the youngest in the top 50, has 34 wins in 49 matches this year, highlighted by the title in Buenos Aires. Van de Zandschulp, a finalist in three ATP 250s without titles, has 0-4 on indoor courts this year.
🌟 https://t.co/aRZQoTQcts
— João Fonseca Updates (@fonsecaupdates) October 14, 2025
Fonseca’s recent trajectory on the circuit
The 19-year-old from Rio climbed the rankings quickly after the US Open, where he reached the third round, his best Grand Slam result. He accumulated 21 wins in 35 ATP-level matches in 2025, including 10 in 11 Challenger games.
Fonseca skipped the Asian swing to prepare for end-of-year European tournaments, like the Paris Masters 1000 starting October 27. His recent form includes doubles wins over top 30 players: Stefanos Tsitsipas in Davis Cup (6/4, 7/5) and Flavio Cobolli in Laver Cup (6/4, 6/3).
The young Brazilian leads the new national tennis generation and debuts as a seed in Brussels, an event distributing crucial points for the season end.
Head-to-head history
This match marks the second encounter between Fonseca and van de Zandschulp, both on indoor hard. In the previous clash during Davis Cup in Bologna, the Brazilian converted decisive breaks in the first set and won the second-set tie-break 7-3.
Van de Zandschulp, known for upsets like against Carlos Alcaraz at the 2022 US Open, seeks to reverse the score. His versatile style, with powerful serves and solid defense, tested Fonseca last time, but the Brazilian controlled key points.
The Dutchman, who won a doubles title in Montpellier this year with Robin Haase, has experience in ATP 250 finals, like Munich and Winston-Salem.
Van de Zandschulp’s season performance
The 30-year-old records 25 wins and 27 losses in 2025, with 13 victories in 24 hard court games. He reached the final in Winston-Salem, defeating players like Sebastian Baez and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Recently, van de Zandschulp fell in the first round of the Shanghai Masters 1000 to Nuno Borges in double tie-breaks (7/6, 7/6). His indoor hard campaign is weak this year, with four straight losses in the format.
- He has 93 wins in 148 indoor career games.
- Highlight for the upset over Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells, second round.
- Doubles partnership yielded the Montpellier trophy, focusing on aggressive returns.
Career highlights for each
Fonseca won his first ATP 250 title in Buenos Aires, overcoming Francisco Cerúndolo in the final. He also advanced to the third round in Wimbledon and Miami, showing consistency on various surfaces.
Van de Zandschulp, who peaked at world No. 22 in 2022, has semifinals at the 2022 US Open as his best. He won 15 clay games this year but struggles for consistency on indoor hard.
- Fonseca: 34-15 overall in 2025; 20-6 on hard.
- Van de Zandschulp: Finalist in three ATP 250s; 0-4 indoor 2025.
- Broadcast in Brazil: ESPN2 and Disney+ Premium.
Tactical strategies on covered court
The Brussels indoor surface favors quick exchanges and precise serves, conditions testing Fonseca’s aggression with powerful forehand. He seeks to pressure van de Zandschulp’s backhand with deep balls.
The Dutchman bets on varied slices and net approaches to break the Brazilian’s rhythm. In the first set, he exploited Fonseca’s unforced errors in long games, reversing a suffered break.
Fonseca needs to adjust his first serve, which yielded only 60% points in the initial set. Van de Zandschulp, with 75% holds, uses serve weight to gain time in short rallies.
Expectations for the rest of the match
With the second set underway, Fonseca tries to regain balance after losing the first 5-7. He broke the Dutchman’s serve twice in the opening set but wasted chances in decisive games.
Van de Zandschulp, boosted by the comeback, pressures in the second set’s opening serve. The live-broadcast match draws attention as Fonseca’s seed debut in indoor ATP 250.
Analysts point to Fonseca as overall favorite, with 65% chances of three-set win, due to youth and momentum. The winner advances to face Pedro Martinez in the round of 16.
