Brazilians João Fonseca and Marcelo Melo won the Rio Open title after beating the German Constantin Frantzen and the Dutch Robin Haase by 2 sets to 1, partials of 4/6, 6/3 and 10/8, this Sunday afternoon (21) on the Guga Kuerten court, the main court of the Jockey Club Brasileiro, which is located in Gávea, south of Rio de Janeiro.
🏆🇧🇷 MARCELO MELO AND JOÃO FONSECA ARE THE GREAT CHAMPIONS OF THE RIO OPEN 2026 🇧🇷🏆
The Brazilian duo beats Frantzen/Haase with 4/6 6/3 10-8, guaranteeing the second title for Marcelo Melo and the first title in the Marvelous City for João Fonseca 💚💛#RioOpen pic.twitter.com/7rcBtUGCbu
— Rio Open (@RioOpenOficial) February 22, 2026
After the victory, Marcelo Melo highlighted the success of his partnership with the young João Fonseca, which was formed days before the start of the doubles tournament: “A fantastic week. Thank you João, you are an extremely special guy. Don’t worry, take it step by step, and you will certainly achieve even more.”
The 19-year-old young man from Rio celebrated the doubles title, but made it clear that he still wants to triumph in the singles in the future: “I just have to thank Marcelo. I have a really cool story, but I’m still going to win the singles tournament at the Rio Open. Today I won in the doubles, which is already a great achievement.”
The doubles title serves as a kind of consolation prize for João Fonseca, who was left out of the singles competition after being surprised, last Thursday (19), by the Peruvian Ignácio Buse. The Brazilian was defeated by the 91st in the world in singles by 2 sets to 1, partials of 7/5, 3/6 and 4/6, in the round of 16 of the Rio Open.
Marcelo Melo won the competition’s doubles title for the second time in history, after winning in 2025 alongside Rafael Matos. The Minas Gerais native was also runner-up in the doubles competition in 2014 and 2023.
The Rio Open is an ATP 500 level tournament, the third in importance on the circuit, which gives 500 points to the champion in the rankings. Only ATP 1000 level events and Grand Slams (Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open) have greater weight.
* Article updated at 5:52 pm with statements from Brazilian tennis players.
