Joao Fonseca has made a smart move ahead of the US Open after shock Cincinnati defeat

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Joao Fonseca’s 2025 season hasn’t quite taken off as many predicted, but he continues to pick up wins on the ATP Tour.

Travelling to Cincinnati off the back of a first-round defeat in Toronto, Fonseca battled to a three-set win over Yunchaokete Bu.

Advancing to the second round, Fonseca benefited from an injury to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who retired from their match, while leading by a set to love.

The Brazilian was, however, unable to make the most of the opportunity, as Fonseca lost to qualifier Terence Atmane in round three of the Cincinnati Open.

Trying not to let the loss dampen his mood ahead of the US Open, the teenager has just made a smart decision.

Joao Fonseca has barely left the practice courts in Cincinnati since his round three loss

Since losing to Atmane on Tuesday, August 12, Fonseca has stayed in Cincinnati, choosing to continue his US Open preparations on the practice courts in Ohio.

On Thursday, Fonseca was seen training with Stefanos Tsitsipas, the former world number three, as the pair completed an ‘intense’ practice session, according to one fan on X.

Returning to the courts on Thursday, Fonseca is scheduled to hit with Canada’s Gabriel Diallo, a rising star in his own right.

Working hard in Cincinnati, Fonseca is doing all the right things as he looks to continue his development on the ATP Tour.

When Fonseca won the Argentina Open earlier this year, just one month removed from his stunning win over Andrey Rublev in Melbourne, some fans went a bit crazy with their predictions for the teenager.

Some were suggesting the Brazilian could be ranked in the top ten by the end of the year, as they predicted Fonseca’s stock to skyrocket in 2025.

Despite his best efforts and impressive results, Fonseca hasn’t reached those heights and currently sits 36th in the ‘Live ATP Race’ (points accumulated in 2025).

At 36, Fonseca will be in contention for a seed at the Australian Open next year, should he continue at this same pace.

That’s certainly not a bad effort for his first full season on tour, although he would no doubt love to make one last big push up the rankings before the end of the year.

Can Joao Fonseca make some noise at the US Open?

Making his Grand Slam debut in Melbourne seven months ago, Fonseca has already picked up five main draw wins, an impressive tally for an 18-year-old.

• [WIN] – Australian Open 1R v Andrey Rublev
• [LOSS] – Australian Open 2R v Lorenzo Sonego
• [WIN] – French Open 1R v Hubert Hurkacz
• [WIN] – French Open 2R v Pierre-Hugues Herbert
• [LOSS] – French Open 3R v Jack Draper
• [WIN] – Wimbledon 1R v Jacob Fearnley
• [WIN] – Wimbledon 2R v Jenson Brooksby
• [LOSS] Wimbledon 3R v Nicolas Jarry

Set to make his first appearance in the US Open main draw later this month, the 2023 Junior champion will be looking to add a few more wins to his resume.

Fonseca will be in with a good chance of doing just that, as at the Australian Open and French Open, he proved he can hang with the very best.

Beating seeded players Rublev [9] and Hubert Hurkacz [30], Fonseca produced two of the best performances of his career, on the grandest of stages.

Never one to shy away from the big occasion, Fonseca will be the last name any of the top seeds want to see placed in their section of the draw.

The youngster will be targeting a career-best Grand Slam run at Flushing Meadows, searching for a maiden fourth-round appearance.

He would, of course, love to go all the way, although that may again be asking too much of the talented Brazilian.

If he were to shock the world and break Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s Grand Slam-winning run at the US Open, he would become the first Brazilian to win in New York since Maria Bueno won her fourth title in 1966.

Whether Fonseca can match Bueno’s feat remains to be seen, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action when the tournament begins.

The 2025 US Open will start on Sunday, August 24.