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Fonseca youngest to 3rd round after 2011 | Tennis News

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Mumbai: Joao Fonseca stood, arms outstretched, face towards the sky, soaking in the cheers from the crowd that began the moment Jenson Brooksby’s return sailed long. Fonseca then bent and buried his head in his hat, rising up in a roar of “Vamos.”

Brazil's Joao Fonseca. (AFP)
Brazil’s Joao Fonseca. (AFP)

Later, he explained to the Tennis Channel what he was thinking in that moment of triumph.

“I realised that I’m in the third round,” the 18-year-old said, with a big smile.

This was quite the achievement as Fonseca, on his Wimbledon debut, became the youngest man since Bernard Tomic in 2011 to reach the third round of the major. And that too in his first year as a professional tennis player.

“It’s a thing to be proud of,” Fonseca said in the post-match press conference. “It’s a great achievement, and with the way that I played today also. I’m very happy with my development on this surface, I’m evolving, so I’m happy with it.”

With the 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 win over Brooksby, the teen from Rio de Janeiro became the first Brazilian since Thomaz Bellucci in 2010 to reach this stage at Wimbledon. Fonseca’s already the No.1 men’s player in his country, and with that he has commanded a great following.

There were long queues of fans outside Court 12 hoping to get a glimpse of him at work. Those who have seen Fonseca play know of the aggressive and hard-hitting style that has seen him rise rapidly in the ranking ladder.

He started the year ranked 145 in the world, but came into the new season on the back of winning the ATP Next Gen Finals. Immediately, he started to pile on the victories, winning the ATP Challenger in Canberra, also his first tournament of the season. He continued that momentum to go through the qualifiers of the Australian Open and became the first man to beat a top-10 opponent – ninth-seed Andrey Rublev – in the first round of a Grand Slam since Mario Ancic beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2002.

The form has not dipped since. Fonseca became the youngest South American to win an ATP title when he clinched the Buenos Aires Open in February. Last month, he reached the third round of the French Open on debut, losing to fifth-seed Jack Draper.

With all that he has achieved in his first few months as a professional, Fonseca is now ranked 54 in the world.

“(Life has) changed a lot. I’m proud of myself. I still need (time) to think about what is going on,” he said. “A lot of change, people are knowing me more, a lot of expectations. I’m loving being on the tour, playing against big players at big tournaments, and evolving. That’s the most important thing, as a person and as an athlete.”

A part of the improvement was to learn how to grind his way to a win. He has the power, on both wings, to hit his way out of trouble. But Wimbledon demands an element of subtlety. Brooksby, who had also reached the third round on his Wimbledon debut in 2022, can be a handful on grass with his skill at redirection.

The American is a defensive baseliner who thrives in long rallies. He came to Wimbledon having reached the final at Eastbourne. But Fonseca, who is still finding his feet on grass, managed to dig his heels in the tougher moments of the match – a credit, he said, to his improving mentality.

“The mentality of playing pro is very different,” said Fonseca, who hammered 50 winners in his second round win. “Sometimes you will play your best tennis and lose the match because the other player can find a way on the important points. Sometimes you’re tight on those important points. The thing I’ve most improved is the mentality.”

A part of his preparation for the grass-swing was watching videos of his idol Federer playing at Wimbledon and Halle. “It was good just to inspire you how to play,” he explained.

Interestingly, Fonseca’s kit sponsor is the Swiss company that Federer has invested in.

The youngster is hoping to emulate his idol. But in the attractive way he plays and the large crowds he has started to pull, he is charting his own way.

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Wimbledon 2025, July 9 schedule: Sinner, Djokovic, and Swiatek gunning for semifinals on Day 10

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The quarterfinals will be completed on Day 10 of The Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London. 

ALSO READ: Wimbledon 2025, July 8 Highlights: Alcaraz too good for Norrie; Sabalenka battles hard to overcome Siegemund; Fritz, Anisimova through to semis

Iga Swiatek will sense the opportunity to secure her best performance at Wimbledon when she takes on Liudmila Samsonova, while the other quarterfinal sees two players with remarkable stories, Mirra Andreeva and Belinda Bencic face off. 

Here’s the full list of quarterfinals (singles only) for day ten of Wimbledon 2025:

Centre court:

Women’s singles – [7] Mirra Andreeva vs Belinda Bencic (SUI)

Men’s singles – [22] Flavio Cobolli (ITA) vs [6] Novak Djokovic (SRB) 

Court 1:

Women’s singles – [8] Iga Swiatek (POL) vs [19] Liudmila Samsonova

Men’s singles – [1] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs [10] Ben Shelton (USA)

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FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Joao Pedro scores brace as Chelsea beats Fluminense to reach final

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New signing Joao Pedro scored twice on his first start as Chelsea eased to a 2-0 win over Fluminense on Tuesday to seal a spot in the final of FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

The Brazilian striker opened the scoring in lethal fashion in the 18th minute of the last-four clash at the MetLife Stadium and struck again shortly before the hour mark as Chelsea set up a showdown with either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain in the final on Sunday.

Signed from Brighton and Hove Albion just last week for a reported £60 million ($79 million), the 23-year-old cut short an off-season holiday and made his debut off the bench in the quarterfinal win over Palmeiras.

He was then given his first Chelsea start up front here in place of the suspended Liam Delap.

Joao Pedro refused to celebrate after either goal against the club with whom he started his career and made 36 top-team appearances before moving to England with Watford in 2020.

The result ends Fluminense’s impressive run at the tournament after the 2023 Copa Libertadores winner had held Borussia Dortmund in the group stage, beaten Inter Milan in the last 16 and knocked out Manchester City’s conqueror Al-Hilal in the quarterfinals.

With its exit goes the prospects of a South American winner of the first 32-team edition of the Club World Cup, with Chelsea claiming back-to-back victories against Brazilian opposition to reach the final.

AS IT HAPPENED | FLUMINENSE VS CHELSEA HIGHLIGHTS

As always seemed most likely, the trophy will be claimed by one of Europe’s superpowers, with the final now guaranteed to be between two of the last five winners of the UEFA Champions League.

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca was without the suspended Levi Colwill and Delap but midfield lynchpin Moises Caicedo returned after sitting out the win over Palmeiras in Philadelphia due to a ban.

The Premier League side was simply too strong for its opponent in a game watched by 70,556 fans on a hot afternoon just outside New York City.

Chelsea went ahead thanks to a wonderful strike by its new forward, who controlled the ball on the edge of the box after Thiago Silva had cleared a Pedro Neto cross.

Joao Pedro took a touch and curled a shot beyond veteran goalkeeper Fabio into the far corner, before holding up his hands apologetically towards the Fluminense fans massed behind the goal.

The team from Rio de Janeiro was an intermittent threat, and Hercules – match-winner against Al-Hilal in the last eight – almost equalised in the 25th minute.

He played a one-two with German Cano and lifted the ball over goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, but Marc Cucurella got back to clear off the line.

Fluminense was then awarded a penalty 10 minutes before the interval when a set-piece delivery by Rene struck the arm of Trevoh Chalobah in the box.

However, French referee Francois Letexier overturned the decision following a VAR check.

Chelsea got its second on 56 minutes, just after Fluminense had sacrificed one of its three centre-backs to send on an extra attacker.

Enzo Fernandez released Joao Pedro on the break, and the forward who scored 10 goals in the Premier League last season for Brighton produced another clinical finish in off the bar.

There were chances for Chelsea to score further goals after that, but the new boy’s double strike sufficed.

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Wimbledon 2025: Carlos Alcaraz blazes past Cameron Norrie into semifinals

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Carlos Alcaraz said ahead of his Wimbledon quarterfinal against Cameron Norrie that playing the left-handed British player can be a nightmare and for a few minutes it looked as though the defending champion might be in for a fright on Tuesday.

The Spaniard fell 0-40 down in his opening service game against the unseeded Norrie on Centre Court, but quickly snapped out of his slumber to seal a 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 victory that should send shudders down the spine of anyone hoping to de-throne him.

There were hundreds of empty seats at the start as fans sought refreshment after watching women’s top seed Aryna Sablaneka’s protracted last-eight victory.

ALSO READ | Anisimova weathers Pavlyuchenkova fightback to reach Wimbledon semis

By the time most of them returned to cheer on the underdog, Alcaraz was in full flow having blazed through the opening set in 28 minutes with a barrage of brilliance.

The tone was set and although Norrie tried his best to dig in, raising his fist in mock triumph as he held serve late in the third set, Alcaraz mercilessly extended his current match winning streak to 23.

Alcaraz, 22, reached his eighth Grand Slam semifinal and will continue his quest for a third successive Wimbledon title against American Taylor Fritz.

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