Brazilian teen Joao Fonseca was one of the first surprises of the 2025 Australian Open, after he defeated ninth seed Andrey Rublev. Check out all you need to know about this young talent.

Endless queues outside Melbourne Park's 1573 Arena on a sunny Thursday afternoon gave casual fans the impression that a Grand Slam champion was in action, but a quick peek inside revealed the carnival atmosphere and explained the interest.

Fonseca was part of the 2024 lineup alongside Fils and Luca Van Assche of France; Michelsen, eventual finalist Learner Tien and Nishesh Basavareddy of the U.S.; Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic and Shang Juncheng of China, who also goes by his Americanized name, Jerry Shang.

Brazil have known about Fonseca’s talent known for some time, making his ATP Tour debut at his home tournament in Rio as a 16-year-old wildcard. Fonseca also got the chance to be a hitting partner for Alcaraz and Sinner ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin after winning the US Open junior title in 2023.

The tennis community raised their eyebrows after watching 18-year-old Brazilian star Joao Fonseca in his first Australian Open. The younger qualifier upset Andrey Rublev, the ninth-ranked player globally,