Rio de Janeiro, February 18 – Local hero João Fonseca secured his first win of the season at the Rio Open, defeating his compatriot Thiago Monteiro 7-6(1), 6-1 in the opening round.
Fonseca delivered a dominant serving performance. He hit seven aces, including two in a crucial opening set tie-break, and won 84 percent (36/43) of his first-serve points, according to ATP Stats.
The 19-year-old won the match in one hour and 24 minutes, during which he did not face a break point. He will face Ignacio Buse in the next round.
In other opening-round action, Matteo Berrettini defeated lucky loser Tomas Barrios Vera 7-6(1), 7-5. The match featured only one serve break when Berrettini broke Barrios Vera in the final game to seal his two-hour, 25-minute win against the Chilean.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry and top seed Francisco Cerundolo both advanced to the second round by winning an all-Argentine clash.
Etcheverry defeated Francisco Comesana 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 and Cerundolo cruised past Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-4.
His younger brother, Juan Manuel Cerundolo, upset second seed Luciano Darderi 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. The victory came just two days after Francisco defeated Darderi in the Buenos Aires final.
Earlier, Portuguese player Jaime Faria staged an upset in the first round when he defeated two-time champion Argentinian Sebastián Baez.
Faria, who entered the main singles draw as a lucky loser, advanced to the second round with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Baez.
“It was the biggest victory of my career. I played a solid game, I managed to put energy into it from the beginning to the end, and I realized that he wasn't comfortable on the court, he wasn't at his best, and I took advantage of that,” said Faria.
Faria's next opponent will be Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, who defeated Spaniard Pedro Martinez 0-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.
