Joao Fonseca secured Brazil’s qualification for the 2026 Davis Cup after an incredible comeback win against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Tsitsipas was close to taking his country to a deciding match in Athens when leading the 19-year-old 5-3 in the third set.
Fonseca fought his way back into the tie, however, securing four games in a row to emerge victorious and give Brazil a 3-1 lead over Greece.
The young star, who clinched his first ATP title earlier this season at the Argentina Open, took to social media after the victory in high spirits.
Photo by ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty ImagesJoao Fonseca’s reaction on Instagram after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas
In a post on Instagram, Fonseca said: “Let’s go! This is Brazil!
“It’s always an honour to be able to represent Brazil and share this mission with so many people I admire.
“I wanted to thank the team for their trust until the end and to everyone who supported, whether here in Greece or at home.
“Your positive energy made all the difference. Let’s go for more team,” urged Fonseca.
Stefanos Tsitsipas’ struggles to return to form continue
Tsitsipas’ defeat marks yet another loss amid one of his worst seasons on tour to date, and things don’t seem to be improving since reappointing his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, as his coach.
The 27-year-old parted ways with Goran Ivanisevic after his first-round exit at Wimbledon, with the Croatian revealing he had ‘never seen such an underprepared player’.
After the split with Ivanisevic, Tsitsipas bowed out in the first and second rounds of the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open respectively, and lost in round two at the US Open.
His ATP ranking has fallen to as low as 30th this season, having been as high as third in the world in 2021.