João Fonseca beats Prizmic at Roland Garros and faces Djokovic

João Fonseca, number 30 in the world, achieved a comeback victory against Croatian Dino Prizmic, number 72 in the rankings, this Wednesday in Roland Garros. The 19-year-old Brazilian won 3-2, with splits of 3/6, 4/6, 6/3, 6/1 and 6/2, in a duel lasting 3 hours and 27 minutes. The match took place in the third round of the French Grand Slam on Paris clay.

Após was down 2 sets to 0, João managed his first comeback against Grand Slam and equaled his best record in the tournament. The previous year, when he participated for the first time in the Roland Garros main draw, the Brazilian had also reached the same round.

Próximo opponent is the biggest challenge

João Fonseca will face Novak Djokovic in the next stage. Número 4 in the world and the greatest Grand Slam champion in history, the 39-year-old Serbian will be the biggest obstacle to a place in the round of 16. The duel is scheduled for Friday. Será the first direct confrontation between João and Djokovic, thus completing the cycle of challenges against the world top-4.

The Brazilian has already unsuccessfully faced Jannik Sinner (1st), Carlos Alcaraz (2nd) and Alexander Zverev (3rd) since March. Djokovic has been to the quarterfinals or beyond in 17 of the 18 editions of Roland Garros since João was born.

Números impressive in favor of the Brazilian

The victory represented the 50th comeback in João Fonseca’s ATP career. Desde 1990, eight out of every ten players who reached this milestone younger than the Brazilian became number 1 in the world. The exceptions were Andrei Medvedev and Jakub Mensik.

João also entered a select hall by becoming only the third teenager this century to win a game from Roland Garros after losing 2 sets to 0. Federer did it in 2001 and Thanani Kokkinakis in 2015. With the victory, the Brazilian maintains his 30th position in the rankings by defending the 100 points from the previous year’s tournament.

• Game Parciais: 3/6, 4/6, 6/3, 6/1, 6/2
• Duração: 3 hours and 27 minutes
• Aces from Prizmic in the 1st set: 9
• Quebras won by João in the last set: 2
• Próximo opponent: Novak Djokovic (4th in the ranking)

Detalhes from the match

The first set was completely dominated by Prizmic. With a strong and precise serve, the Croatian scored nine aces and achieved the only break of the set in the eighth game, taking advantage of a mistake by João. Prizmic closed on 6/3.

The second set followed a similar script. Ambos confirmed their services with ease, but in the ninth game Prizmic achieved another break. The Croatian maintained his intensity and won 6/4. One controversy involved an informal warning to Prizmic for talking to the coach.

Leia Tambem

River Plate beats Blooming in a duel in the Copa Sudamericana

Hoverlab owner is arrested for false information about Kim Soo Hyun; Gold Medalist welcomes AI manipulation investigation

Fausto Vera extends the score to 2-0 for River Plate in the Sudamericana against Blooming

João started the comeback in the third set. A dispute over the marking of a ball occurred in the second game, with an argument between the Brazilian and the referee that did not change the result. Mesmo thus, João did not let himself be discouraged. Conseguiu made his first break in the fourth game and confirmed all services until closing at 6/3.

In the fourth set, the Brazilian increased the intensity. João won six games in a row with three breaks, while Prizmic racked up unforced errors. Prizmic tried to react with break points, but João confirmed his serves and closed at 6/1.

The fifth set was pure dominance from João. The Brazilian broke Prizmic’s serve in the fourth game in a beautiful contest at the net that excited the crowd on court 14. João confirmed the serve and opened 4/1, then sealed the victory with another break: 6/2.

Contexto from the challenge

Apesar is behind João in the rankings, Prizmic is a specialist on clay and had good results. The 20-year-old Croatian had beaten two top-10 tennis players in recent weeks: Novak Djokovic and Ben Shelton. Contra João, however, the Croatian was unable to maintain his level.

]