By Howard Fendrich
João Fonseca 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.
It was quite a debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the 18-year-old Brazilian, who is currently 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 U.S. Open
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