Both #NextGenATP stars did not face a break point

Joao Fonseca produced a squeaky-clean performance in his Arizona Tennis Classic debut Wednesday when he raced past Pavel Kotov 6-2, 6-4.

The 18-year-old Brazilian dropped just six points behind his first serve (27/33), according to Infosys ATP Stats and did not face a break point, setting a second-round clash against fourth seed Jan-Lennard Struff.

“I knew Pavel was a great player, great fighter. I needed to do my best to win today and I did really well since the beginning of the match,” Fonseca said in his on-court interview. “Happy with the way I managed to win.

“I focussed a lot on my serve, that’s the thing we were working on a lot, trying to have no breaks.”

Fonseca called the physio to court after the first game of the second set and received treatment on his left leg. But the teenager showed no signs of hindered movement as he marched on to a one-hour, 29-minute victory, his 16th win of the season across all levels.

At No. 80 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Fonseca is aiming for his third ATP Challenger Tour title this week. He opened this season with a title run at the Canberra Challenger, just two weeks removed from his triumph at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. The #NextGenATP star earned his first ATP Tour title last month in Buenos Aires.

In other Phoenix action, former college standouts Jacob Fearnley and Eliot Spizzirri also advanced. Spizzirri, who won his first Challenger title two weeks ago, defeated Australian qualifier Li Tu 6-4, 6-2 while Fearnley defeated James Duckworth 7-6(3), 6-3.

Cap Cana
#NextGenATP players Jakub Mensik and Rei Sakamoto were among Wednesday winners at the inaugural Republica Dominicana Open, Copa Cap Cana Ciudad Destino.

Fifth seed Mensik ousted Chilean Cristian Garin 6-3, 6-4, fueled by a strong-serving performance. Similar to Fonseca in Phoenix, the 19-year-old dropped just four points behind his first serve and did not face a break point.

Mensik’s second-round opponent will be Japan’s 18-year-old Sakamoto, who moved past Govind Nanda 6-3, 6-4.

Jakub Mensik during Cap Cana action Wednesday.
Jakub Mensik during Cap Cana action Wednesday. Credit: Mike Lawrence/ATP Challenger Tour