Brazilians bring the house down as Joao Fonseca bows out of Aus Open

Novak Djokovic reveals why a gun teenager could be one of the most important figures in the sport despite his elimination from Melbourne Park.

The “laid-back acoustic” entertainment area didn’t feel so laid-back at Melbourne Park on Thursday night.

Instead, the soundtrack for thousands enjoying dinner outside the courts was an army of Brazilian fans in full voice for their new hero Joao Fonseca, who willed him on as he scrapped tooth and nail for three hours and 40 minutes on 1573 Arena.

The 18-year-old was unable to repeat his remarkable first-round exploits, but he still put on a show in a 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 defeat to Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.

Cheered off court by the Brazilian faithful, Fonseca’s grand slam debut unleashed a huge wave of interest from a demographic which has had few stars to ride the highs with since the mighty Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten retired.

Novak Djokovic thinks Joao Fonseca looks like the best Brazilian talent since “Guga” Kuerten (pictured right). Picture: Graham Denholm / Getty Images

Gustavo ‘Guga’ Kuerten. Picture: Gabriel Bouys / AFP

Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic was left in no doubt that Fonseca, from Rio, “has got the goods” after his stunning first-round upset of Andrey Rublev in straight sets.

“I’ve been following his rise, and I just love how he plays the big points … courageous, very clean hitter, all-round player,” Djokovic said.

“Brazil is a big country – it’s super important for our sport to have a very good player coming from Brazil.

“I think they haven’t had a player maybe of this calibre since Guga Kuerten. It’s exciting times for Brazil, but also for the whole tennis world because such a young person and player, to be able to play so good on the big stage is impressive.”

While Fonseca appears on a trajectory to match it with the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, it was Beatriz Haddad Maia who laid the groundwork for the Brazilian party as she put away Erika Andreeva in straight sets to move into the third round.

Brazil fans were in full voice at Melbourne Park on Thursday for a double-header starring Beatriz Haddad Maia and Joao Fonseca. Picture: Graham Denholm / Getty Images

Haddad Maia, currently No. 17 in the world, was the first Brazilian woman to reach the top 10 since Maria Esther Bueno in 1959, and also stands to profit from the increased national interest with Fonseca’s big debut.

Using the crowd to his advantage, Fonseca saved two set points in the opener and rode the momentum into a tie-break which he won 8-6, but lost his way through the middle of the match as world No. 55 Sonego broke his serve four times in six games.

When it looked like he had run out of steam, the Brazilian teenager found a second wind, battering deep forehands and backhands which kept the Italian on the defensive.

Fonseca punched the air and his supporters erupted after he won a long rally to claim a break point at 3-3 in the final set, but Sonego held and then found a break of his own to reach the third round and set up a clash with another unseeded opponent, Hungary’s Fabian Maroszan.