João Fonseca eliminated tenth seed Casper Ruud in the third round of the Canadian Open in Montreal, 7-6(6), 6-3, in one hour and 54 minutes on Friday evening. The 19-year-old Brazilian, ranked 27th in the world, has now dispatched three seeds in a week after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round and will face defending champion Ben Shelton in the fourth round on Sunday.
A first set full of twists
Fonseca endured a turbulent opening set. Broken early, he conceded seven break points across his first three service games before turning the tide. Trailing 3-5 in the tiebreaker, the Brazilian reeled off four consecutive points to steal the set 8-6. His ability to save six of seven break points across the entire match showcases mental resilience rare for a player of his age.
Total control in the second set
The second set left little room for doubt. Fonseca broke to lead 2-0 with a spectacular return game featuring a backhand overhead winner and two backhand groundstroke winners down the line. He did not face a single break point on his final eight service games. The statistics confirmed his dominance: 75 points won to Ruud's 68, five aces, and a 67% break point conversion rate compared to just 14% for the Norwegian.
Shelton vs Fonseca, the weekend blockbuster
Sunday's fourth-round clash promises to be the match of the tournament. Shelton, the fifth seed and the last top-10 player standing, has breezed through his opening rounds without dropping a set, beating Zizou Bergs 6-3, 6-2 on Friday. The two players met earlier this season in Munich, on clay, where the American prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. On the fast Montreal hard courts, Shelton holds an obvious serving advantage, but Fonseca has proved this week that he can neutralize the best returners on tour. The winner will reach the quarterfinals in a wide-open draw missing Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev.
