Match Reaction
Fonseca encouraged after Sinner defeat: ‘The level is there’
Brazilian had three set points in the first set but lost in straight sets
March 11, 2026
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Joao Fonseca was competing in the fourth round at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time.
By Sam Jacot
Since his breakthrough win in Rio de Janeiro in 2024, the tennis world has been asking the same question: Can Joao Fonseca one day challenge the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
The Brazilian teenager has only fuelled that conversation in the time since. Fonseca closed the 2024 season by winning the Next Gen ATP Finals title, becoming just the third 18-year-old to lift the trophy after Alcaraz and Sinner. He carried that momentum into 2025, capturing tour-level trophies in Buenos Aires and Basel to further strengthen the belief that he could join the sport’s new elite.
On Tuesday at the BNP Paribas Open, Fonseca finally measured himself against one of those benchmarks: Sinner. The Italian emerged with a hard-fought 7-6(6), 7-6(4) victory, but the 19-year-old left the court encouraged by how closely he competed with the World No. 2.
“I can play against them. I can do some great matches. But there are always the little things, the little important things that you need to work every day,” Fonseca said.
“I mean, those little details are just super important, like when he played the important points, how he deals with it. So of course I still need a lot of experience, but I think the level is still there. Of course, I can play against them. [There are] many more things to improve, but I feel happy the way that I played, because I felt the level was pretty close today.”
Fonseca pushed Sinner hard in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. He held three set points in the first-set tie-break at 6/3 but couldn’t convert and led 4/3 in the second-set tie-break.
Afterward, the Brazilian praised Sinner’s ability to find his best in the big moments.
“I think he puts a lot of pressure… He won a lot of points serving, a lot of important points. I would say he puts a lot of pressure every time when he’s nervous. When he’s tight, he puts a lot of pressure. Doesn’t matter the time. He hits the ball strongly,” Fonseca said.
“You can feel the ball, just heavy. That’s a thing that I felt, the intensity of the game. It’s all the games, 100 per cent, you need to be always ready, always focused. That’s the main difference, I think the intensity, the way that he plays important points.”
Fonseca, who has never faced Alcaraz, enjoyed an impressive week in Indian Wells, where he reached the fourth round at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time. The No. 35 player in the PIF ATP Rankings dispatched Tommy Paul in straight sets, saved two match points en route to beating Karen Khachanov and breezed past Raphael Collignon in his opener.
“As a tennis player, I can say that when we lose, we kind of feel sad or disappointed sometime, trying to figure out what I did right, what I did wrong. But of course I’m happy the way that I played,” Fonseca said when asked about Sinner ending his run. “For myself, I don’t normally think that I need to be mad at myself when I played good, when I did everything good, and the opponent has the credit.”
