Birthday boy Joao Fonseca advances to US Open qualifying closing spherical | ATP Tour

US Open

Birthday boy Fonseca advances to US Open qualifying closing spherical

Fellow #NextGenATP star Gaubas additionally into third spherical

August 21, 2024

#NextGenATP Joao Fonseca celebrated his 18th birthday Wednesday in type. The Brazilian superior to the ultimate spherical of qualifying on the US Open, the place he dropped simply three factors behind his first serve en path to a 6-4, 6-2 victory in opposition to Frenchman Calvin Hemery.

Final yr’s US Open boys’ singles champion’s birthday reward was the fixed chants from the Court docket 8 crowd, “Jo-ao Fon-seca!”, “Jo-ao Fon-seca!”

Now one win away from competing in his maiden main fundamental draw, Fonseca will face American Eliot Spizzirri within the third spherical. Spizzirri in Might completed No. 1 within the ITA closing singles rankings for the second consecutive yr. The College of Texas graduate beat Belgian Joris De Loore 7-5, 7-6(5) to advance.

Fonseca, sixth within the PIF ATP Stay Race To Jeddah, received his first ATP Challenger Tour title this month in Lexington, Kentucky. He’s aiming for his maiden journey to the 20-and-under Subsequent Gen ATP Finals offered by PIF, which runs from 18-22 December. 

Fellow #NextGenATP star Vilius Gaubas additionally superior to the ultimate spherical of qualifying. The Lithuanian defeated French veteran Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-4. After the match, there was an on-court presentation to honour Gasquet in his farewell US Open.

Gaubas, who’s half the age of 38-year-old Gasquet, received 73 per cent of his first-serve factors. This week is the primary time that Gaubas has competed in Grand Slam qualifying. He earned his first ATP Challenger Tour title earlier this month in Cordenons, Italy and at present sits seventh within the PIF ATP Stay Race to Jeddah.

Gaubas will subsequent meet one other participant who’s competing in his closing US Open — Diego Schwartzman, former No. 8 within the PIF ATP Rankings. Schwartzman received 7-5, 6-4 in an all-Argentine battle in opposition to Thiago Agustin Tirante.

The 32-year-old Schwartzman introduced earlier this yr that he’ll retire after the Argentina Open in 2025. He’s aiming for his eleventh consecutive US Open fundamental draw look. Schwartzman’s finest outcomes at Flushing Meadows got here in 2017 and 2019, when he reached the quarter-finals.

#NextGenATP hopes Coleman Wong and Luca Van Assche suffered tight three-set defeats. Yu Hsiou Hsu survived Wong 1-6, 6-2, 7-6(8). Radu Albot overcame a second-set droop to down Van Assche 6-2, 0-6, 6-4.

Aslan Karatsev superior with a convincing 6-3, 6-0 victory over Marc Polmans whereas Lucas Pouille ousted fellow Frenchman Harold Mayot 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(12).