Brazil’s prodigal son Joao Fonseca continues to be on the rise for this season as he continues to make his presence felt on the big stage and deliver interesting performances to begin the year now more than ever – with a shot at the second round of the qualifying phase for the 2025 Australian Open.

Just a few weeks removed from winning the Next Gen ATP Finals last December 2024, it cannot be denied that Fonseca’s rise is quite impeccable, and we are now seeing him make bigger strides in the game considering how his pace has been seen as a magical experience to watch, which makes him a hot pick to look out for in the competition.

For context, the Australian Open is filled with a lot of contenders to look out for. Names such as Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and even defending champion and reigning world no. 1 Jannik Sinner are all coming in to play, which says a lot about the big stakes that the competition presents – all of them will be on Fonseca’s path if he is going to make his case.

Building on Strong Momentum

Defeating Learner Tien in the Nex Gen title match back in Jeddah, Fonseca is back to his usual programming after he captured his second ATP Challenger Tour crown in Canberra last week, now winning his 11th straight match after he also defeated Argentine Federico Agustin Gomez 6-4, 6-0 in the first round of the qualifying for the Australian Open 2025.

At the age of 18, Fonseca is seeking to qualify for a major for the first time in his young career, and there’s a lot of hope that he can actually make a winning stride now more than ever. He has the momentum, and that means a lot of confidence building on his case for the Australian Open.

The last time that a youngster impressed and crashed the big stage? Well, Carlos Alcaraz made his presence felt in the 2022 US Open at the age of 19 and even ended the calendar year as the youngest and first teenager to finish as the world no. 1 in the history of the ATP Tour, which proves that it isn’t also impossible for Fonseca to make a rise in the AO.

Youngsters on the Rise

Aside from Fonseca, the 16-year-old Cruz Hewitt, the son of former world no. 1 Lleyton Hewitt also tried to make a splash in the Australian Open but fell short in the initial rounds after losing to former Top 20 star Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 6-4. Tien, who was the runner-up for the Next Gen ATP Finals, finished with a 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-1 win against Frenchman Gregoire Barrere.

The young side has been quite dominant in the ATP Tour so far, and the same can be said amongst the elite considering how Novak Djokovic, the oldest reigning world no. 1 in the current era, has fallen off the reins of the top spot and has seen the likes of Sinner, Zverev, and Alcaraz take over the upper echelon of the game. This says a lot about how the young players are starting to take over in the ATP Tour now more than ever.

For Fonseca, this is a great sign of things to come, and there will be multiple opportunities for him to enjoy his success as he continues to strive his path to the top of the game and launch himself as a star in the game.