18-year-old Brazilian is youngest man to reach that stage since 2011

Joao Fonseca continued his stylish start to his Wimbledon debut on Wednesday by notching a slice of Brazilian history.

The #NextGenATP star delivered a rock-solid display to hold off Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 and become the first Brazilian man to reach the third round at SW19 since Thomaz Bellucci in 2010. Brooksby attempted to use the windy conditions to drag Fonseca into a cat-and-mouse battle, but the 18-year-old’s firepower ultimately proved too much in a three-hour, 14-minute victory.

It All Adds Up

By triumphing in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Brooksby, Fonseca also became the youngest man to reach that stage since Bernard Tomic in 2011. Next up in his maiden foray at the All England Club is qualifier Nicolas Jarry, who dispatched 19-year-old American Learner Tien 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.

Even though Fonseca, who is competing in just his fourth tour-level event on grass, struggled to maintain his footing at times, he was able to draw on a raucous Court 12 atmosphere to help him through. Playing in front of a crowd that included Brazilian and American fans alike, Fonseca swung freely and fired 50 winners, including a stunning stretched backhand winner from the back fence early in the fourth.

Brooksby arrived at Wimbledon fresh from reaching the final at the grass-court ATP 250 in Eastbourne, and the 24-year-old constantly pulled Fonseca forward with the use of drop shots and variation. While it worked for a brief moment, when he recovered a crucial break for 4-4 in the fourth set, the Brazilian responded instantly to prevail.

Fonseca’s meteoric rise across the 2025 season began at the Australian Open, where he stunned then-World No. 9 Andrey Rublev in his first main draw appearance at a Grand Slam tournament. He then backed it up with a stellar run to his first ATP Tour title in Buenos Aires a month later before reaching the third round at Roland Garros last month.

Joao Fonseca, It All Adds Up