PARIS (AP) — João Fonseca is making a habit of drawing big crowds at tennis tournaments — and of beating seeded opponents in his Grand Slam debuts.
The 18-year-old from Brazil delighted a loud and overflowing group of spectators at 1,500-capacity Court 7 on Tuesday and won the first French Open match of his nascent career, beating 30th-seeded Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
“I’m young, and I’m getting the experience of everything now,” Fonseca said. “So I’m learning a lot from this circuit and this environment.”
Fonseca needed just 1 hour, 40 minutes to wrap up the victory, producing more than twice as many winners, 36, as unforced errors, 15, and repeatedly delivering booming forehands.
“I mean, he's (got) a very powerful game,” said Hurkacz, who reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2021 by beating Roger Federer in the last match of the 20-time major champion's career. "He's definitely an all-around player and can develop a lot. It's difficult to play against him."
All along, Fonseca heard plenty of support from the Brazilians who haven't had a Grand Slam champion to cheer for since Gustavo Kuerten was winning three French Open titles in 1997, 2000 and 2001.
Fonseca, the 2023 U.S. Open junior champion and currently ranked 65th, played his first match in the main draw of a major at the Australian Open in January, when he knocked off No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev.
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The Associated Press
