Joao Fonseca caught headlines after beating Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open, but his winning streak has now come to an end.
Fonseca has been spoken about by Novak Djokovic, and many other top stars following his debut Grand Slam win.
His performance against Rublev even prompted some to pit Fonseca alongside Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as the ‘new big three’.
It would be fair to say that some of this hype was deserved, as Fonseca matched a 22-year Roger Federer record.
The 14-match winning streak started when Fonseca won the Next Gen Finals last year, but has come to an end following his five set defeat to Lorenzo Sonego in Melbourne.
Joao Fonseca admits what shocked him at the Australian Open
Having come through qualifying to reach the Australian Open main draw, it was the first time that Fonseca had experienced playing best-of-five set matches.
The 18-year-old got the full experience of this after going the distance in his second round match against Sonego, just coming up short in the deciding set.
When asked about his first senior Grand Slam experience, Fonseca revealed what surprised him when speaking in his post-match press conference.
“I think when you play five sets, the experience, it’s different,” said Fonseca. “They know better when to put intense. There’s going to be ups and downs during the match.
“Like I say, I won the first set really good, 7-6. Then two sets was really easy for him. I couldn’t play my best. Then after, I got a break in the fourth. The fifth was like 50/50. It was going to be ups and downs.
“I need to have more experience on this. I need to work more to stay mentally focused during the whole match and need to be prepared for this. So yeah, I think that was the big difference to play a Grand Slam. There’s going to be ups and downs, and you need to stay focused during the most part of the match.”
Where will Joao Fonseca play next?
There had been some hype around a third round Australian Open match between Fonseca and Frances Tiafoe, but both players have been unable to make it to that stage after suffering five set defeats.
Fonseca has gained many fans including Coco Gauff during his run in Melbourne, who will be eagerly awaiting his next move.
As a result of his recent run, Fonseca is poised to break inside the top 100 for the first time and overtake compatriot Thiago Monteiro as his nations top player.
The Brazilian is next scheduled to play a Challenger tournament in Quimper, before heading to Orleans to represent his nation in their Davis Cup qualifier against France.
Fonseca will then switch his focus to clay courts, as he plays the South American swing in Buenos Aires and at his home ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro.
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