João Fonseca beats Shapovalov to reach the semifinals in Basel
19-year-old Brazilian tennis player defeats Canadian Denis Shapovalov and achieves his best performance in an ATP 500 tournament
247 - Brazilian João Fonseca, just 19 years old, continues his rise in the professional tennis circuit. This Friday (24), he beat Canadian Denis Shapovalov 2 sets to 1, coming from behind, securing a place in the semi-finals of the ATP 500 in Basel, Switzerland. The information was originally published by the portal EARTH.
It was an unprecedented match between the two athletes, marked by intensity and twists and turns. Fonseca, currently ranked 46th in the world, prevailed after an hour and 36 minutes of play, with scores of 3/6, 6/3 and 4/1. The result places the young Brazilian among the top four in the tournament and marks his best performance in competitions of this level, surpassing his achievement at the 2024 Rio Open, when he reached the quarterfinals.
The match began with exchanges of service breaks in the early games. Shapovalov, ranked 23rd in the world, dominated the first set, winning 6-3. In the second, Fonseca reacted strongly, breaking his opponent's serve in the fourth game and holding his own service games to close out the set 6-3.
In the decisive set, the Brazilian maintained his rhythm and quickly opened up a 2-0 lead after an initial break. Showing maturity and confidence, he extended his advantage to 4-1. At that moment, the Canadian ended up abandoning the match amidst boos from the crowd, sealing the Brazilian's victory.
Next challenge
With the victory, João Fonseca advances to the semifinals and will face Spaniard Jaume Munar this Saturday (25), at 10 am (Brasília time), in search of a place in the grand final of the tournament.
