Rising 18-year-old Joao Fonseca defeated Argentina’s Federico Coria 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 to become the youngest quarterfinalist at the Argentina Open since Richard Gasquet in 2004 on a sunny afternoon in Buenos Aires.
It was not a perfect day for the 99th-ranked teenager, but he found his best tennis when he needed it to cruise to the finish line by winning five of the final six games against 32-year-old Coria.
“Today I was not feeling very well,” Fonseca said. “I was missing some easy balls and a little bit more nervous, but I’m very happy the way that I fought to the end, the mentality of staying positive during the match and focusing on the good things, to make a change after the first set.
I’m happy with that and happy with the changes that I managed to implement after the first set.”
Fonseca, into his third ATP quarterfinal, will face either Holger Rune or Mariano Navone in the second round.
Fonseca hit 39 winners against 39 unforced errors, including 24 forehand winners.
More to follow…