The match between João Fonseca from Rio de Janeiro and Thiago Monteiro from Ceará, which opens the night program this Tuesday (17th) at the Rio Open, gained new weight. Whoever wins the duel on the Guga Kuerten Court of the Brazilian Jockey Club, scheduled to start at 7pm (Brasília time), can end the day as the only Brazilian representative in the singles tournament.
The confrontation opposes generations. The main name in the country today, João is 19 years old and is number 38 in the ranking of the Association of Professional Tennis Players (ATP). Thiago, 31 years old, appears in position 208 on the list, but has already occupied 61st place in 2022 and, for years, was the best placed Brazilian.
Both have already been in action at this Rio Open. The team from Ceará needed to play two qualifying games (the preliminary phase that brings together lower-ranked athletes) to reach the main draw. The Rio native competed in the doubles tournament alongside Marcelo Melo from Minas Gerais. They debuted with a victory, on Monday (16), over Argentine Ramón Burruchaga and Italian Andrea Pellegrino.
Following the game between João and Thiago, it will be young Luís Guto Miguel’s turn to be on the court. The 16-year-old from Goiás, third in the world among youth and number 1,593 in the ATP rankings, takes on Lithuanian Vilius Gaubas (126th). It is the first time that he has participated in a 500-level competition, third in importance on the ATP circuit, behind only the 1000-level events and the Grand Slams (Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open).
Triple stumble
Brazil started the Rio Open with six athletes in the main draw. Three of them were eliminated on Monday (16), although none were favorites. Gustavo Heide (258th) from São Paulo could not resist the Czech Vit Kopriva (87th) and lost by 2 sets to 0, partials of 6/2 and 7/6 (7-5), in 1 hour and 49 minutes of play.
“Obviously there was a bitter taste, I know it was possible to play the third set, but it’s tennis, it’s part of it. It was my first match on clay this year”, commented Heide, on the Rio Open website.
Pernambuco’s João Lucas Reis (207th) faced German Yannick Hanfmann (90th), played a tough game against an opponent more than 100 positions ahead in the rankings, but lost by 2 sets to 0, partial scores of 7/6 (7-3) and 6/4, in 1 hour and 57 minutes.
“I think it was a good game, very tough from the beginning, where both had to achieve maximum effort, I think physical and mental as well. It was a detail that ended up slipping away in the end”, assessed João Lucas, also in the tournament’s official communication.
The person who came close to a heroic classification was Igor Marcondes (348th). The São Paulo native faced the Peruvian Ignácio Buse (91st), who is 257 positions higher in the ranking. Despite winning the first set, he suffered a comeback and lost 2-1, 6/4, 5/7 and 4/6, in 2 hours and 48 minutes of play.
“At first, I thought he [Igor] would win. He was playing better than me. Little by little, I found my level. I’m very happy because he was playing at a great level and I wish him the best, because the level he demonstrated is truly ready for great things”, praised Buse, who is awaiting the winner of the clash between João and Thiago in the round of 16, on the event’s website.
More Brazil
This Tuesday night will still have Brazilians competing in doubles. Felipe Meligeni Alves (441st) and Marcelo Zormann (153rd) from São Paulo face the partnership of Belgian Sander Gillé (66th) with Dutchman Sem Verbeek (61st) in the third and final game of Court 2 at the Jockey Club, located in Gávea, north of Rio de Janeiro. The expectation is that the match will start around 7pm.
