Tennis media and fans have marveled at the talent of Brazilian phenom Joao Fonseca. His charisma and power have turned the 18-year-old into the next generation’s star.
FONSECA WITH THE PASSING SHOT TO GRAB THE 2ND SET 🇧🇷#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/JsHGfEAbNH
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 29, 2025
Fonseca packs tennis stadiums small and large with Brazilian faithful as well as fans of the sport anxious to see this young star’s game in person.
Joao Fonseca won his second round French Open match on Thursday, a noteworthy accomplishment because only five other 18-year-old players have advanced to the third round.
Who are the players Fonseca is joining?
As you can guess, it is an elite list.
- Roger Federer: The French Open was not Federer’s favorite Grand Slam, but he probably would have won more than the one time in 2009 if he had not been competing against Rafael Nadal year-after-year in Paris.
- Andy Roddick: As with Federer, Andy Roddick was not known for his clay court acumen. However, he had a respectable fourth round finish in 2009.
- Rafael Nadal: Everyone expected Rafael Nadal’s name to be on this list. The 14-time French Open champion made it practically an annual ritual to win the French Open.
- Borna Coric: 28-year-old Crotian Borna Coric has made it to the third round five times in his career with the first time occurring a decade ago.
- Carlos Alcaraz: 22-year-old Carlos Alcaraz is already a French Open champion, but his breakout year in Paris happened in 2021 when he advanced to the third round.
What’s next for Joao Fonseca?
João Fonseca becomes the youngest man to reach the 3rd round of Roland Garros since Carlos Alcaraz in 2021.
He is INSANE.
And it’s only the beginning.
🇧🇷💛 pic.twitter.com/ALDLfr8BOI
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 29, 2025
As if there is not enough excitement surrounding the Brazilian teenager, it is bounded to taken up a few notches in his third round match scheduled for Saturday. He will face the winner of the Gael Monfils and Jack Draper match on Thursday evening. Monfils is a French icon, and Draper is enjoying his own breakout success as the 2025 Indian Wells champion.
