Tag Archives: Lorenzo Sonego

In Australian Open Debut, João Fonseca Upsets No. 9 Seed Andrey Rublev in First Round

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João Fonseca has pulled off a major upset… 

The 18-year-old Brazilian tennis player definitively introduced himself to the world as the latest teen sensation in men’s tennis on Tuesday night, upsetting No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the first round of the Australian Open.

João FonsecaIt was quite a debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for Fonseca, who is ranked 112th and made it into the bracket at Melbourne Park by winning three matches in qualifying rounds last week.

The victory over 10-time major quarterfinalist Rublev, who is 27, lasted just under 2 1/2 hours and stretched Fonseca’s current unbeaten run to 14 matches. That includes taking the title last month in Saudi Arabia at the Next Gen ATP Finals for top players who are under 21, and another trophy this month at a lower-tier Challenger tournament in Canberra.

Those within tennis have been keeping tabs on 2023 US Open junior boys’ champion Fonseca for a bit, intrigued by his big serve, booming groundstrokes and cool demeanor. All of those qualities, and more, were on display against Rublev in Margaret Court Arena, the second-biggest stage in Melbourne.

Fonseca got to match point with a backhand winner that he celebrated by raising his right index finger in a No. 1 gesture and nodding his head. Then he ended it with a down-the-line forehand, spreading his arms wide and tossing his head back.

“I mean, not bad,” were Fonseca’s first words during his on-court interview afterward.

That drew a smile from him and supportive laughter from the stands, where there were plenty of fans sporting his home country’s flag.

“I just enjoyed every moment in this court, this amazing court,” he continued. “My first time playing in a huuuuge stadium.”

Hitting serves at up to 133 mph, Fonseca delivered 14 aces and had just one double fault while saving five of the six break points he faced.

He accumulated 51 total winners, 18 more than Rublev, a quarterfinalist in Melbourne three of the past four years and Fonseca’s first opponent ranked higher than No. 20.

“I was just focusing [on] my game, trying to put no pressure on myself, playing [against] a top-10 guy,” Fonseca said. “I was just playing my game and, well, now we’re in the second round.”

He’ll next face 55th-ranked Lorenzo Sonego, who got past three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in four sets earlier Tuesday.

Asked the key to his strong play in the tiebreakers against the far-more-experienced Rublev, Fonseca said he tries to employ “all the intensity in the important points,” “go for the shots” and show “courage.”

He also cited 20-time major champion Roger Federer as an inspiration.

“Like Roger says: ‘Talent is not enough.’ … So I put [in] a lot of hard work,” Fonseca said. “Just me and my team knows that.”

Francisco Cerundolo Upsets Felix Auger-Aliassime to Reach Fourth Round at Miami Open

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Francisco Cerundolo has pulled up an upset at the Miami Open.

The 24-year-old Argentine professional tennis player defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-2, 7-5 in a third-round match at the Florida tournament.

Francisco Cerundolo,Cerundolo, ranked 25th in Miami, scored a crucial break over fifth-seed Auger-Aliassime to go up 6-5 in the second set before serving out for the match.

He made the most of his opportunities, breaking Auger-Aliassime four times on six chances. He faced only two break points, saving one.

Auger-Aliassime saw his streak of six straight quarterfinals at Masters 1000 events come to an end.

It was the third high-profile third-round meeting between the players, with Auger-Aliassime winning at Indian Wells and the Australian Open.

Cerundolo said he fed off the energy of the crowd.

“Super happy to get another top-10 win, another important win for me,” he said. “I think I played really good from beginning to end. Super nice to play here. A lot of Argentinian, Latin people. … Last year was amazing. So I’m really excited to be in the round of 16 again and try to keep winning.”

Cerundolo advanced to face Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, a 6-3, 6-4 winner over No. 12 seed Frances Tiafoe in one of the night matches slowed by a nearly two-hour rain delay.

Alex de Minaur Claims First Career Grass-Court Title at Eastbourne

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Alex de Minaur is certainly tuned up for Wimbledon…

The 22-year-old Uruguayan-Spanish Australian player won the first grass-court title of his career at the Eastbourne tournament on Saturday.

Alex de Minaur

The No. 2-seeded de Minaur came back to edge No. 3 seed Lorenzo Sonego 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) over more than 2 1/2 hours in a men’s final in which each player collected the same number of total points, 107-107.

That gave de Minaur his fifth career ATP title and second of 2021. All eight previous finals he had appeared in were on hard courts, including his championship at Antalya, Turkey, in January.

The best Grand Slam showing for de Minaur also came on a hard court with a quarterfinal run at last year’s U.S. Open.

He’s been as far as the third round at Wimbledon.

de Minaur is assured of moving up from No. 18 to a career-high No. 15 in the ATP rankings next week.

Play begins at the All England Club on Monday.

He goes into Wimbledon on an 8-2 roll on grass this month, including a semifinal appearance at Queen’s Club last week.

Rafael Nadal Defeats Novak Djokovic to Claim 10th Italian Open Title

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Make than 10 for Rafael Nadal…

The 34-year-old Spanish tennis star defeated Novak Djokovic 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 to earn a record-extending 10th Italian Open title on Sunday.

Rafael Nadal

With whipping forehands that produced an average of 54 revolutions per second — to Djokovic’s 45 — Nadal’s biggest weapon was in top form.

“I have been playing better and better with my forehand the last couple of weeks, getting to the confidence point,” Nadal said. “That’s a huge improvement for me, very important shot. Especially on clay, it [gives] me confidence.”

The title reestablished Nadal as the overwhelming favorite for the French Open, where he’ll be aiming for his 14th title starting in two weeks.

But Nadal preferred to focus on his achievement in Rome — at least for the moment.

“To have this trophy in my hands for the 10th time is something hard to believe,” Nadal said, recalling how he won his first title at the Foro Italico in 2005 as an 18-year-old, when he beat Guillermo Coria in a match lasting more than five hours.

“Now, 16 years later, to play in the final again is incredible,” Nadal said in Italian during the trophy presentation. “It’s difficult to describe. Without a doubt this is one of the most important places in my career.”

Three forehand winners helped Nadal produce the decisive break in the third set, when Djokovic’s energy level appeared to dip.

The top-ranked Djokovic spent nearly five hours on court Saturday, when he had to rally for a rain-delayed quarterfinal victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas before winning another three-setter over local favorite Lorenzo Sonego in the semifinals.

Nadal played only once Saturday, beating Reilly Opelka in 1½ hours.

“He managed to break my serve and played better. That’s it,” Djokovic said. “I had my shot to win it, but wasn’t meant to be. I didn’t feel fatigue. Actually, I was very happy with the way I felt on the court. I could have gone for another few hours.”

It was the 57th meeting between Nadal and Djokovic, which is the most matches between two men in the Open era. It was their ninth meeting in Rome, where they have played more than anywhere else.

Djokovic now holds a slim edge in the all-time series 29-28, while Nadal holds a 6-3 advantage in Rome overall and 4-2 in Rome finals.

Jaume Munar Defeats Fabio Fognini to Advance to the Argentina Open Quarterfinals

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Jaume Munaris making his mark in Argentina…

The 21-year-old Spanish tennis player defeated No. 2 seed Fabio Fognini at the Argentina Open 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 on Wednesday in the round of 16.

Jaume Munar

Fognini’s compatriot, third-seeded Marco Cecchinato, had better luck and won his tie with Chile’s Christian Garin 7-6 (4), 6-4.

Cecchinato will play Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena in the quarterfinals. The Spaniard advanced after a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.

In an all-Argentine game, Guido Pella beat Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (5).

Pella will face Spain’s Munar in the next round of the clay court tournament.

No. 1 seed Dominic Thiem of Austria will play his first match in the Argentina Open on Thursday against Germany’s Maximilian Marterer.