Joao Fonseca’s poor run of form in 2026 continued after being defeated in his latest match at the Rio Open.
After coming through his first-round match against compatriot Thiago Monteiro, Fonseca fell to Ignacio Buse in the second round of his home tournament, losing 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.
With his comeback triumph, Buse became the first Peruvian to reach an ATP 500 quarterfinal since the format’s inception in 2009.
Fonseca made 43 unforced errors during the match before suffering a third loss of the year.
After the clash, the Brazilian teenager gave an honest assessment of his performance and admitted he needs to improve.
Where do you think Joao Fonseca will be ranked at the end of the 2026 season?
Joao Fonseca reacts to his second-round exit at the Rio Open
As per Tenis Brasil, Fonseca said: “At this level, you can’t miss opportunities like that. It was silly of me; I got a little flustered at times, but it’s a process, keep improving, keep working.
“I’m sad about this defeat, but I’ll move on. I managed to break serve when things were relatively difficult [in the first set], but I think it was more his fault than my merit.
“And then in the second set, I missed a big opportunity and couldn’t find my way back into the match. There are things to improve. It was about making fewer mistakes.
“If I hadn’t made mistakes, I probably would have won, right? But knowing that tennis isn’t like that, there are going to be games where you make more mistakes.
“Today was a day when I couldn’t find my rhythm; I kept trying to find it. Anyway, that’s tennis.”
Joao Fonseca’s results on the ATP Tour so far this season
After withdrawing from the Brisbane International due to injury, Fonseca played his first match of the 2026 season at the Australian Open.
His campaign at the first Grand Slam of the year came to an abrupt end in the opening round, however, losing to Eliot Spizzirri.
Then, Fonseca kicked off the first title defence of his career at the Argentina Open, but was beaten by Alejandro Tabilo in three sets.
Which Grand Slam title would you like to see Joao Fonseca win?
At the Rio Open, he finally got back in the win column against Monteiro, beating his countryman in straight sets.
But the loss to Buse now means Fonseca is 1-3 for the season, with the ‘Sunshine Double’ of Indian Wells and Miami fast approaching.
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