Following his victory over Novak Djokovic, Joao Fonseca follows up with a win against Casper Ruud.
Brazilian tennis sensation Joao Fonseca has continued his winning streak at the French Open and reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time. The 19-year-old, who had knocked out record-holding major champion Novak Djokovic in dramatic fashion in the third round, prevailed in a hard-fought match against two-time finalist Casper Ruud of Norway, winning 7-5, 7-6 (10-8), 5-7, 6-2. This marked the elimination of the No. 15 seed.
Twenty-two years after three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten—who watched the match live in Paris—another Brazilian has reached the final four at a Grand Slam. Fonseca will face Jakub Mensik, who is just one year his senior. The Czech defeated world No. 13 Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 2-6, 6-3 in 3 hours and 45 minutes, securing his first-ever spot in the quarterfinals.
While the Paris Saint-Germain soccer team celebrated their latest Champions League triumph with 48,000 fans at the nearby Parc des Princes, Fonseca and Ruud engaged in an intense battle on Court Philippe-Chatrier, where only the smallest details made the difference. After the teenager secured the first set, the second set lasted 1 hour and 24 minutes—with Fonseca once again coming out on top in the tiebreak.
In the third set, Fonseca and Ruud were again evenly matched, but this time the Norwegian fought back and closed the gap. However, Fonseca kept his composure and converted his first match point after 3 hours and 55 minutes.
