The future is now: Fonseca erases Rublev at Australian Open

That Joao Fonseca beat Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open hardly comes as a surprise to any knowledgeable tennis follower.

But the way in which Fonseca dismantled the world No. 9 on Tuesday night has even the hardest of hardcore tennis experts buzzing.

Fonseca won the biggest match of his young career to date in straight sets, erasing Rublev 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-6(5) in two hours and 23 minutes to earn his spot in the second round. The Brazilian blasted 14 aces compared to just one double-fault and fired 51 winners–18 more than an opponent who wields one of the biggest forehands on tour.

Not even Rublev’s forehand, though, could compete with that of Fonseca. The 18-year-old cracked 27 winners off that side (12 more than the Russian), including a down-the-line scorcher on match point at 6-5 in the third-set tiebreaker.

“I just enjoyed every moment on this amazing court,” Fonseca said during his post-match interview. “It’s my first time playing in a huge stadium. I want to thank this amazing crowd. There are some Brazilians here…a lot of Brazilians here cheering for me.

“I was trying to not put pressure on myself, playing with a top-10 guy in a huge stadium. [I was] trying to call the crowd to help me. I just enjoyed playing my game. That’s one thing about myself; that I play better in the important points. I go for my shots. That was the difference today.”

It has been the difference for almost a year now. Although he was only 17 for the majority of the 2024 season, Fonseca reached the quarterfinals of an ATP 500 in front of the home crowd in Rio de Janeiro and reached two Challenger finals, winning one. He also dominated the NextGen ATP Finals, defeating Arthur Fils and Jakub Mensik en route to the title of that prestigious year-end tournament.

Dating back to the NextGen, Fonseca is on a 14-match winning streak. He is 9-0 so far in January and has not dropped a single set in nine matches.

“Fonseca’s level for 18 let alone any age is simply off the charts,” commentator Brad Gilbert said after watching the match against Rublev. “His easy power and composure [thumbs up emoji]. Right now his level is easily top 10. I said last month (he) would finish (the season) top 25. Now (I’m) seeing year-end championships.”

Despite still being a teenager, Fonseca for several years already has been tipped as a future star.

Suddenly, the future is now.