The current world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz burst into the tennis scene at 16. By 18, the Spaniard already won his first Masters 1000 at Miami Open, followed by Madrid Open while defeating sport’s legends like Rafael Nadal, Novak Djoković. A year later, he claimed his first Grand Slam at the 2022 US Open and finished the year as world No. 1. At 20, he caused a roar in 2024 season, becoming the youngest male player in the Open Era to complete the Channel Slam. Simultaneously, an 18-year-old No. 3 tennis player from Brazil, Joao Fonseca, seems to follow Carlitos’s footsteps. From making his debut at 16, to causing an upset against the 9th seed in his first Australian Open main draw match. Alcaraz can’t help but predict Fonseca’s future!

Alcaraz’s run in Melbourne started emphatically, winning his first-round match against Alexander Shevchenko in three straight sets on Monday. Two days later, in his second-round match, he won against Yoshihito Nishioka in a similar manner, 6-0, 6-1, 6-4, booking his place in the third round. However, on Tuesday, an 18-year-old Brazilian tennis player Joao Fonseca caused a major upset, garnering the spotlight.

Naturally, Alcaraz’s post match conference had a mention of Fonseca. When asked about the 18-year-old’s Grand Slam potential, the world No. 3 said, “I saw it, I saw it a little bit. I couldn’t watch the whole match. I saw a little bit at the beginning and the end of the match. What can I say about it? Just incredible. I mean the way he played his first grand slam match against his first top 10. It’s unbelievable that the way he approached the match, the way he handle everything, the nerves,” he added.  

Alcaraz also said, “the match in general. It’s been fantastic so it’s someone that the I have to be care of let’s say. I have to see him he’s going gonna be there you know, its just the beginning of the year, just one win in grand slam but he’s gonna be there. So we are gonna put you know Fonseca names you know on the list of the best players in the world really soon.” However, what’s so special about the Brazilian and his match against Andrey Rublev? Well, it’s something astonishing!

Joao Fonseca’s AO campaign started early than top seeders, from January 7. He played 3 qualifying rounds against Federico Agustin Gomez (6-4, 6-0), Coleman Wong (6-0, 6-3) and Thiago Agustin Tirante (6-4, 6-1) and won them all in quite convincing fashion: straight sets. Fonseca, ranked 112th in the world, entered the first-round match against 27-year-old Andrey Rublev riding a 13-match winning streak. In a surprising turn of events, he caused an upset, winning against 9th seed Rublev in three sets 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 and 7-6 (7-5), becoming the first teenager since Rublev to beat a top 10 player in round 1 of a Grand Slam. Extraordinary right? That’s not all! 

His three-round qualifier win gave him a breakthrough in rankings, jumping from 145 to a career-high 112 on January 13th, a day before his first-round match at AO. The No. 3 player from Brazil now wants “more and more”.

“When I arrived here [in Melbourne], my goal was to qualify for the main draw,” said Fonseca, who extended his win streak to 14 matches at all levels, in the post-match press conference. “Of course, my expectations are bigger now. I want more and more. [To] want more and more – that’s the mentality of a champion. Of course I am very happy with the way that I played today, but I am already thinking about the next match. It’s going to be against a very great player [Lorenzo Sonego]” he added. 

With his second round win, Alcaraz has extended a record!

Carlos Alcaraz extended his record against left-handed opponents in Grand Slams

Carlos Alcaraz’s victory over the Japanese player was largely attributed to his impressive serving performance, highlighted by 14 aces. He faced no break points throughout the match, extending his perfect 8-0 record against left-handed opponents in Grand Slams. “I’m really happy with the serve today,” assessed Alcaraz, who wrote “Am I a serve bot?” on the camera lens.

“This is something that I worked on in the preseason. In the first round I struggled a little bit, so I wasn’t too happy with the serve. Yesterday I was more focused on practising the serve. I spent more time just serving with Juan Carlos [Ferrero], with my team, and it’s something that I really want to be better. So I’m just glad that today it worked pretty well. Hopefully, in the next round it is going to be better.”

Further, Alcaraz, who sported a striking teal sleeveless T-shirt during the match, playfully acknowledged the noticeable increase in his biceps, a result of his off-season training.

“I think my fitness coach would be happy with my biceps. A lot of people told me about it, that your biceps (are big) and okay, I’m just happy to hear that,” Alcaraz added while the laughter roared through the packed Margaret Court Arena.

Well, his next opponent is Portuguese player Nuno Borges, who upset the current 27th seed Jordan Thompson 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Who will win this clash on this highly anticipated contest? Comment your thoughts below!