João Fonseca – Foto: Juarez Santos / Shutterstock.com
Brazilian tennis player João Fonseca, aged 19, slipped one spot in the ATP ranking on Monday, moving from 45th to 46th place after an early exit in the ATP 250 in Brussels, Belgium. The Rio native, with 1,129 points, was overtaken by Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, who reached 1,130 points. Fonseca lost on Sunday to Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets, 7/5, 7/6 (7/2).
The Brussels tournament marked Fonseca’s return to the circuit after a two-month break, including participation in the Laver Cup.
- Fonseca led early in both sets but made critical errors.
- The 86th-ranked Dutchman converted key breaks and dominated the tiebreak.
- It was their second meeting; Fonseca had won at the 2024 Davis Cup.
Hora da análise do adversário de João Fonseca no ATP 500 da Basileia.
🎾 5 PONTOS SOBRE 🇫🇷GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRICARD
[Por @fonsequism]
1⃣
Número 32 do ranking da ATP, o francês tem 22 anos, é destro, utiliza a esquerda de uma mão no backhand, mede 2,01m e pesa mais de 100kg.… pic.twitter.com/A9FceSS9lH— João Fonseca Updates (@fonsecaupdates) October 20, 2025
Details of the Brussels elimination
The Brussels match lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes on an indoor hard court. Fonseca, the No. 7 seed, had a 68% first-serve rate but committed 28 unforced errors against his opponent’s 18. Van de Zandschulp advanced to the round of 16, facing American Eliot Spizzirri. The Dutchman has notable wins, including against Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 US Open.
Profile of the Basel opponent
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, a 22-year-old Frenchman, is ranked 32nd in the ATP and defends his 2024 Basel ATP 500 title. Standing at 2.03 meters, he recorded Wimbledon’s fastest serve in 2025 at 246 km/h.
The match is set for Tuesday at around 10:30 AM (Brasília time) on the central court. Perricard has 19 wins in 2025 and titles in Lyon and Basel.
- Height and serve: Leverages physical advantage on fast courts.
- Style: Right-handed with a one-handed backhand; relies on serve for quick points.
- Record: Career-high 22nd in February; reached Brussels semifinals last week.
Potential path in the Swiss draw
A win over Perricard would pit Fonseca against either Jakub Mensik, ranked 19th, or Henry Bernet. Fonseca defeated Mensik at the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals, which he won. Quarterfinals could feature Holger Rune, ranked 11th. A semifinal might bring Ben Shelton, sixth in the ATP, with Taylor Fritz, fourth-ranked, as a potential final opponent. The tournament awards 500 points to the champion and prepares players for the Paris Masters 1000.
Doubles performance in Basel
Fonseca and Rafael Matos were eliminated in the Basel doubles opener on Monday. The Brazilian pair fell to Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert, 2-1, with scores of 6/7 (2/7), 7/6 (8/6), and 11/9, after 2 hours and 8 minutes.
Mahut, a former doubles No. 1, and Herbert used their Grand Slam experience to win the super tiebreak. It was Fonseca’s fifth ATP doubles match.
Fonseca’s 2025 season in numbers
In 2025, Fonseca has 21 wins and 15 losses in ATP singles. His Buenos Aires title in February made him the youngest Brazilian champion since 2002. He climbed from 113th to the top 50, with strong showings at the US Open and Wimbledon. A post-US Open break included Davis Cup and Laver Cup wins.
- Top 20 wins: Seven in 2025.
- Total points: 1,129, just behind Sonego among recent overtakers.
- Upcoming: Basel, Paris, and Athens, all on indoor hard courts.
Ranking progression in 2025
Fonseca began the year at 113th, entering the top 100 in January. After Wimbledon, he hit 48th in July. A third-round US Open run lifted him to 42nd in September. Missing Asian tournaments led to drops to 43rd in October, now 46th. The ATP system counts the 19 best results over 52 weeks, with Grand Slams worth up to 2,000 points.
