João Fonseca is beginning to find his form at exactly the right time. The 19-year-old Brazilian defeated former world No. 2 Casper Ruud 7-6(6), 6-3 at the National Bank Open in Montreal, giving one of Latin America’s fastest-rising tennis players another significant victory just days before the Cincinnati Open.
Fonseca followed an opening win over Stefanos Tsitsipas with an increasingly confident performance against Ruud, overcoming an uneven start before taking control from the baseline. The result sends him into a Sunday showdown with defending Montreal champion Ben Shelton and provides another indication that Fonseca could arrive in Cincinnati as considerably more than a young player worth watching.
He may arrive as one of the dangerous players nobody particularly wants to see nearby in the draw.
Fonseca Finds a Way Against Ruud
The victory over Ruud was not as straightforward as the score eventually suggested. Fonseca struggled early on serve and fell behind 4-2 in the first set before breaking back immediately. He then recovered from 5-3 down in the tiebreak to take the opening set. From there, the match changed.
The Brazilian began dictating more points with the aggressive baseline tennis that has quickly become his trademark. He broke Ruud early in the second set and did not face another break point on his way to the victory. It was Fonseca’s fourth win against a Top 20 opponent this season and improved his career record against Ruud to 2-0.
The other victory came at Roland Garros earlier this year, when Fonseca defeated the Norwegian during his breakthrough run to the quarterfinals in Paris. Perhaps more important than another highly ranked scalp was the way Fonseca adjusted after the difficult opening That ability to solve problems during matches has become increasingly important as his level of competition has risen.
Strong Return After Wimbledon
Montreal is Fonseca’s first tour-level tournament since Wimbledon, where his run ended in the third round. Any questions about rust have disappeared quickly. His first match back came against former world No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Fonseca won 7-6(3), 7-5. Even that match required some composure.
Fonseca failed to serve out the contest at 5-4 in the second set but responded by winning eight of the next nine points. Two matches later, he is still in Montreal without having dropped a set. The combination of victories over Tsitsipas and Ruud is particularly encouraging because they required Fonseca to handle different styles and different moments of pressure.
Those are precisely the kinds of situations that become increasingly important during the North American hard-court season.
Ben Shelton Provides the Next Test
Fonseca’s next challenge will be considerably more difficult. He faces American Ben Shelton on Sunday evening for a place in the Montreal quarterfinals. The match is scheduled for no earlier than 6 p.m. in Montreal, or 4 p.m. in Costa Rica. Shelton, ranked No. 10, is the defending champion and the highest-ranked player remaining in the tournament.
Like Fonseca, he has not lost a set during his first two matches. The two have met once before. Shelton defeated Fonseca in three sets in the quarterfinals in Munich earlier this year. That match was played on clay, making Sunday’s hard-court meeting a different test.
Shelton’s left-handed serve is particularly dangerous on a court where the ball is bouncing high, while Fonseca’s ability to attack from both wings gives him the kind of power needed to prevent the American from controlling points. It will also be Fonseca’s sixth match against a Top 10 player this season.
He has already faced Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic in addition to Shelton. Few teenagers receive that level of experience so quickly.
Cincinnati Comes Next
Whatever happens against Shelton, Fonseca’s Montreal performance changes the context surrounding his arrival at the Cincinnati Open. Fonseca is currently listed at No. 27 in the Cincinnati player field, placing him firmly among the strongest Latin American entrants in Mason.
Argentina’s Francisco Cerúndolo, Tomás Martín Etcheverry and Sebastián Báez, Peru’s Ignacio Buse and Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo are also part of a substantial regional presence in the men’s tournament. But Fonseca is increasingly becoming the player who attracts the most attention.
Part of that comes from age and potential. Part comes from the way he plays. Fonseca is willing to attack early in rallies and possesses enough power off both sides to push established players behind the baseline. When the first serve is working, he can shorten points considerably.
The more interesting development this season, however, has been his ability to survive when everything is not working. That was visible against Tsitsipas. It was even clearer against Ruud.
No Longer Just a Prospect
Fonseca has spent much of the past two seasons carrying the label of Brazilian tennis’ next major prospect. That description is becoming outdated. At 19, he has already won ATP titles, reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal and defeated some of the best-known players in the sport.
His run at Roland Garros included one of the biggest victories of the season when he came from two sets down to defeat Novak Djokovic before beating Ruud in the following round. Those performances raised expectations considerably. They also changed the standard by which Fonseca is now judged.
Reaching a Masters 1000 tournament and playing competitive tennis is no longer particularly surprising. The question is increasingly how far he can go. Montreal is providing another answer.
A Player to Watch in Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Open main draw begins August 13 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, one of the final major stops before the US Open. For Fonseca, Cincinnati represents another opportunity to test his rapidly developing hard-court game against an elite field before traveling to New York.
A week ago, he would have arrived with questions about his form following a break from tour-level competition. Those questions are disappearing. Straight-set victories over Tsitsipas and Ruud have replaced them with another one. How much further can João Fonseca go?
Ben Shelton will provide the next answer Sunday night. Cincinnati comes immediately afterward.
