Brazilian advances to the QFs at a Masters 1000 event for the first time

Joao Fonseca is an ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finalist for the first time. The Brazilian produced a high-quality performance to overcome Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-2 on Thursday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

The 19-year-old found a number of stunning angles in front of the packed crowd on Court des Princes and played with intensity to overwhelm Berrettini, who defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-0, 6-0 in the second round.

"It is super special. I was looking for this result for a long time," Fonseca said. "Of course I want more. I am very confident and focused. I was very happy with the way I fought today. From the beginning, putting a lot of pressure. Playing huge return games and very good serve games. I was putting a lot of pressure and that helps you stay more calm during the match."

Fonseca won 94 per cent of first-serve points in the opening set and did not let a setback at the start of the second deter him. Berrettini was broken at the beginning of the second set but responded immediately when he crushed a forehand pass to level at 2-2, triggering a roar from the former Top 10 star.

However, Fonseca continued to play aggressively and pulled the Italian from corner to corner to regain momentum and triumph after 75 minutes. Fonseca is the first Brazilian Masters 1000 quarter-finalist since Thomaz Bellucci in Madrid in 2011, while he is the youngest man to reach this stage in Monte-Carlo since Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet in 2005.

Fonseca, who is making his debut in Monte-Carlo, is up five spots to No. 35 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings after levelling his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Berrettini at 1-1. The former Next Gen ATP Finals champion will meet third seed Alexander Zverev in the last eight.

Zverev downed Zizou Bergs 6-2, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals in the Principality for the first time since 2022. The German failed to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, but quickly bounced back to reel off the final two games to triumph.

"[It was] a better match from my side," Zverev said when asked how it compared to his opening-round win on Wednesday in Monte-Carlo, where he rallied from 2-5 in the deciding set to defeat Cristian Garin. "It was still not perfect. Still far from the level I played in the US, but this is my first clay tournament... I am happy with the level today. We move forward."

The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Zverev is chasing his eighth Masters 1000 crown and will now meet Fonseca for the first time. Last month, Fonseca faced Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner for the first time in Miami and Indian Wells, respectively, pushing both in narrow defeats.

"I think clay is his best surface," Zverev said when discussing Fonseca. "He won Buenos Aires and has played well on the surface before. I am excited to play him for the first time. He is a young upcoming talent and I think we will play each other a lot more in the next couple of years."

Did You Know?
Fonseca is the second man born in 2006 to reach the quarter-finals at an ATP Masters 1000 event, joining Martin Landaluce, who advanced to that stage in Miami last month.