João Fonseca definitively introduced himself to the world as the latest teen sensation in men's tennis on Tuesday night, upsetting No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the first round of the Australian Open.
It was quite a debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the 18-year-old Brazilian, who is currently ranked 112th and made it into the bracket at Melbourne Park by winning three matches in qualifying rounds last week.
The victory over 10-time major quarterfinalist Rublev, who is 27, lasted just under 2 1/2 hours and stretched Fonseca's current unbeaten run to 14 matches. That includes taking the title last month in Saudi Arabia at the Next Gen ATP Finals for top players who are under 21, and another trophy this month at a lower-tier Challenger tournament in Canberra.
Those within tennis have been keeping tabs on 2023 U.S. Open junior boys' champion Fonseca for a bit, intrigued by his big serve, booming groundstrokes and cool demeanor. All of those qualities, and more, were on display against Rublev in Margaret Court Arena, the second-biggest stage in Melbourne.
Fonseca got to match point with a backhand winner that he celebrated by raising his right index finger in a No. 1 gesture and nodding his head. Then he ended it with a down-the-line forehand, spreading his arms wide and tossing his head back.
"I mean, not bad," were Fonseca's first words during his on-court interview afterward.
That drew a smile from him and supportive laughter from the stands, where there were plenty of fans sporting his home country's green-yellow-and-blue flag.
"I just enjoyed every moment in this court, this amazing court," he continued. "My first time playing in a huuuuge stadium" - dragging out the "u" for emphasis.
Hitting serves at up to 133 mph (214 kph), Fonseca delivered 14 aces and had just one double-fault while saving five of the six break points he faced.
He accumulated 51 total winners, 18 more than Rublev, a quarterfinalist in Melbourne three of the past four years and Fonseca's first opponent ranked higher than No. 20.
"I was just focusing (on) my game, trying to put no pressure on myself, playing (against) a top-10 guy," Fonseca said. "I was just playing my game and, well, now we're in the second round."
He'll next face 55th-ranked Lorenzo Sonego, who got past three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in four sets earlier Tuesday.
Asked the key to his strong play in the tiebreakers against the far-more-experienced Rublev, Fonseca said he tries to employ "all the intensity in the important points," "go for the shots" and show "courage."
He also cited 20-time major champion Roger Federer as an inspiration.
"Like Roger says: 'Talent is not enough.' ... So I put (in) a lot of hard work," Fonseca said. "Just me and my team knows that."
Lorenzo Musetti's man bun is a thing of the past: The Italian tennis player showed up at the Australian Open with his famously lengthy locks sheared, and he wound up winning his first-round match Tuesday by, um, a hair.
The 16th-seeded Musetti, a Wimbledon semifinalist last July and Paris Olympics bronze medalist last August, needed 4 hours, 6 minutes to get past countryman Matteo Arnaldi 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 at Melbourne Park.
Gone were the strands that dangled nearly to his shoulders under a backward white hat at the All England Club and, as recently as late November, at the Davis Cup Finals, which Italy won.
Gone was the top knot the 22-year-old Musetti featured at the Summer Games.
"For now, the short hair had a good start in Australia. Let's hope it can bring me luck," Musetti said. "It's a new look. But if I hadn't had such long hair for such a long time, people wouldn't even have noticed it."
Perhaps. But a glance at social media made clear that fans definitely made note of this new 'do.
He said this is the closest his hair's been cropped since he was 15. Even when he won the Australian Open junior boys' title at age 16, it was a little longer.
"I'm getting old," Musetti said with a smile, "so I am trying to look younger."
His victory over the 39th-ranked Arnaldi was even tighter than the final score indicated. Musetti only managed to collect eight more points, 169 to 161.
"It was quite a long match. ... Honestly, it could have gone either way," said Musetti, who never made it past the second round in three previous appearances at the Australian Open.
"I am proud to have won, despite not playing my best tennis. When you play your best, it's easy to take a victory home," he said. "These are the matches that make you grow and mature as a player."