João Fonseca – Foto: Juarez Santos / Shutterstock.com
João Fonseca, currently ranked 45th in the world tennis rankings, makes his debut this Tuesday (14) in the ATP 250 in Brussels, Belgium. The 19-year-old Brazilian faces Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp, ranked 86th, around 2:30 PM Brasília time. The match takes place on the indoor hard court at ING Arena, with live broadcast on ESPN and Disney+ in Brazil.
The clash marks the second official meeting between the players. Fonseca defeated the opponent 2-0 in the 2024 Davis Cup, with scores of 6/4 and 7/6. As the eighth seed, the Rio native seeks points for the ranking before the Paris Masters 1000.
The venue change to Brussels aims to attract more audience in a capital with strong sports tradition. The tournament, from October 13 to 19, offers a prize pool of 706 thousand euros.
Fonseca has 21 wins in 35 ATP matches in 2025. He won the title in Buenos Aires, his first at the 250 level.
Atualizando as informações de transmissão para o jogo de amanhã em Bruxelas:
🇧🇷João Fonseca X 🇳🇱Botic van de Zandschulp
⏰ Por volta de 14h30 (horário de Brasília) / Último jogo da Quadra Central
📺 ESPN2, Disney+ Premium e Tennis TV pic.twitter.com/10oi0W2E4Z
— João Fonseca Updates (@fonsecaupdates) October 13, 2025
Move to Brussels boosts the tournament
The ATP 250, known as the European Open, moved its headquarters from Antwerp to Brussels in 2025. The decision expanded the event’s reach in a European metropolis. The ING Arena accommodates 5,000 spectators and hosts the center court. Circuit directors note the competition’s growth in recent years.
Fonseca’s history against top rivals
Fonseca has three consecutive wins since the US Open. Two victories came over top 30 players.
- Against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Davis Cup, he won 6/4 and 7/5.
- In the Laver Cup, he beat Flavio Cobolli 6/4 and 6/3 in San Francisco.
The Rio player’s ranking dropped two spots to 45th after skipping Asia. He leads Brazil and is the youngest in the top 50. Van de Zandschulp has 14 wins and 17 losses in 2025. The 30-year-old Dutch lost four of his last five matches.
His strength lies in baseline consistency. He errs more against top 50 opponents.
Strong draw challenges the Brazilian
The singles draw includes 28 players. Four seeds advance directly to the second round. Fonseca starts in the first. If he wins, he faces the winner of Pedro Martinez or a qualifier on Thursday (16).
Highlights include Lorenzo Musetti (9th), top favorite. Felix Auger-Aliassime (13th) has a good record on indoor hard.
Jiri Lehecka (19th) comes from quarters in Shanghai. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (20th) completes the top 20 present.
- Musetti seeks his third ATP title in 2025.
- Auger-Aliassime won 70% of points on first serve on fast surfaces this year.
- Lehecka has 15 wins in indoor tournaments this season.
The champion earns 250 ranking points. The total prize money equates to about R$ 4.4 million.
Preparation for Basel and Paris
Fonseca trains with Guilherme Teixeira since age 16. The current focus is adapting to indoor hard, a fast surface. He prioritized Europe at the end of the season. Skipped Asian tournaments to build rhythm. After Brussels, he heads to the ATP 500 in Basel, October 20-26. There, he faces similar courts and debuts against a qualifier.
Paris starts on October 27, with 1,000 points at stake. The schedule includes Athens, new ATP 250 from November 2-8. Fonseca aims for semifinals in at least one of these events. The year ends with ATP Finals in November.
Strategies in the rematch with Van de Zandschulp
Fonseca plans to exploit the Dutch’s aggressive forehand. In 2024, he broke serve in the first set and won the tie-break in the second. The indoor court favors quick exchanges. Van de Zandschulp uses a two-handed backhand to counterattack. He beat Carlos Alcaraz in 2022. His recent form shows inconsistency in long matches.
Fonseca adjusted his serve after the US Open. Records 70% points won on first serve. Training in Brussels included match simulations. The Brazilian expects a full arena for the debut.
Post-Brussels schedule in details
Basel awards 500 points to the champion. Attracts tops like Holger Rune and Novak Djokovic. Fonseca debuts against a qualifier or lucky loser. Paris follows as a Masters 1000 on indoor hard.
Athens marks the Greek tournament’s debut. Djokovic is entered, on outdoor hard.
- Basel: 20-26/10, indoor hard, Switzerland.
- Paris: 27/10-2/11, indoor hard, France.
- Athens: 2-8/11, hard outdoor, Greece.
Fonseca’s focus is ranking for 2026. He has 1,116 points this season.
