Both making their debuts in the Toronto Masters, Tristan Schoolkate showed he also has the potential to become one of the best players among the rising stars from the NextGen ATP roster after he came up with a superb performance to knock out Joao Fonseca in straight sets, 7-6 (5), and 6-4. That was also his first win against a Top 50 opponent in the ATP Tour.

Tennis fans in Toronto were given an unexpected treat with Schoolkate delivering a knockout performance against Fonseca, who has been truly superb for most of the Tour season and has been tallying big wins and deep runs in various tournaments. In a showdown lasting an hour and 33 minutes, the Australian held his ground and made sure that he would not miss out on a big chance to prove his worth on the big stage.

With this victory, he makes his presence felt in the Canadian Masters 1000, and also climbs up multiple spots to reach world no. 98 – finally breaking the top 100 when it mattered most. With still a chunk of the season left to play, it does seem that Schoolkate can capitalize on this win – let alone if he finishes at the top of the National Bank Open.

Consistent Plays in a Clinical Performance

While it's just the Round of 128 that he's clinched a win, the fact that it came against a fellow NextGen ATP star in Fonseca says a lot about his potential in the game. He's been one of the youngsters who is starting out to be quite a promising performer who is expected to be the next big Australian icon on the rise.

“I'm very happy with the result today. I thought I played a good match and made it pretty tricky for Joao,” said Schoolkate. “He's obviously a very established player, he's so young… Even when his age flashed on the board, I was like ‘Here we go'. I'm just happy with the way I played, and looking forward to the next one.”

Schoolkate did not face a single break point in his clash against Fonseca. He was quick to come up with advantages on the volley and also proved his worth in finding the best spots in his serve. This win also marks his second ATP Masters 1000 victory and now improves to a 5-5 record in 2025.

Making the Best Adjustments

Schoolkate noted that the match was played faster than he expected. So far, it has been one of his weaknesses for some time as he tends to play poorly when it comes to those games, and yet he made it look easy as he found a way to thrive on the big stage. The Australian was moving well in the court, which is defintely an ideal improvement over his past few matches.

“There's not too many tournaments that are this fast,” added Schoolkate. “Our last tournament was Los Cabos, and that was very slow and bouncy. I think these conditions in Toronto suit the way I play. I serve big, try to get forward and make it a bit uncomfortable for the opponent, and I think that showed today.”

True enough, this has been seen well in this win over Fonseca, and one can now certainly hope for bigger strides from Schoolkate as he continues his brilliant campaign in the Canadian Masters 1000 tournament.