Double
Fonseca/Melo save 1 match point in Rio de Janeiro SF
Brazilians meet Frantzen/Haase in the final
February 21, 2026
Joao Fonseca and Marcelo Melo on Saturday at the ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro.
By Vishakha Khandelwal
Joao Fonseca ended the singles heartbreak with a thrilling doubles win Saturday at the Rio Open presented by Claro, where he teamed with compatriot Marcelo Melo to beat Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner 6-2, 2-6, 13-11 to reach the championship match.
The Brazilians came back from 2-5 down to save a match point at 8/9 in the Match Tie-break before overcoming Schnaitter and Wallner in one hour and 29 minutes. In their first Lexus ATP Head2Head duel with the Germans, they won 70 percent (45/57) of their first service points and saved two of the four break points they saved, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Fonseca lost in the second round to Ignacio Buse in singles, but returned to the court two days later to reach his first tour-level final in doubles. Melo, 23 years older than Fonseca, advanced to his 79th tour-level final and will aim to win his 41st title on Sunday. The Brazilian veteran claimed the Rio de Janeiro trophy in 2025 alongside compatriot Rafael Matos.
The home favorites face Constantin Frantzen/Robin Haase in the final. Frantzen and Haase upset third seeds Guido Andreozzi and Manuel Guinard 7-6(15), 2-6, 10-8 to reach the final.
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