Rio de Janeiro
City hero Fonseca achieves the first victory of the season in Rio de Janeiro
Berrettini, Cerundolo and Etcheverry advance to the ATP 500
February 18, 2026
Joao Fonseca in action on Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro.
By Vishakha Khandelwal
There is no place like home to find some rhythm again.
After an injury setback and a series of untimely exits, hero Joao Fonseca claimed his first win of the season at the Rio Open, presented by Claro, on Tuesday, beating compatriot Thiago Monteiro 7-6(1), 6-1 in the opening round.
“It’s just great to get my first win of the year [here] after a tough few months,” Fonseca said. “It’s just super special, so I’m really happy.”
In his first Lexus ATP Head2Head encounter against Monteiro, Fonseca put in a dominant serving display. He fired seven aces, including two in a tie-break in a clutch opening set, and won 84 percent (36/43) of his first serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Backed by a boisterous home crowd, the 19-year-old claimed victory in one hour and 24 minutes, during which he didn’t face a break point. In the next round he will face Ignacio Buse.
In other opening rounds, Matteo Berrettini held on to beat lucky loser Tomas Barrios Vera 7-6(1), 7-5. The match saw just one break of service as Berrettini broke Barrios Vera in the final game, sealing his two-hour, 25-minute victory against the Chilean.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry and top seed Francisco Cerundolo both advanced to the second round by winning an all-Argentine match. Etcheverry defeated Francisco Comesana 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 and Cerundolo cruised past Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-4. His younger brother, Juan Manuel Cerundolo, upset second seed Luciano Darderi 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. The victory came just two days after Francisco defeated Darderi in the Buenos Aires final.
Watch the highlights of Cerundolo vs. Navone:
Other winners on Tuesday included Roman Andres Burruchaga and lucky loser Francesco Passaro. Burruchaga defeated fifth seed Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-3, 6-4 and Passaro defeated Dino Prizmic 6-3, 6-4.
#City #hero #Joao #Fonseca #achieves #victory #season #Rio #Janeiro #ATP #tour #Tennis