Brazilian teen Fonseca continues to hit the high notes at Wimbledon

Joao Fonseca stood, arms outstretched, face towards the sky, soaking in the cheers from the crowd that began the moment Jenson Brooksby’s return sailed long.

- Shahid Judge

Fonseca then bent and buried his head in his cap, rising up in a roar of “Vamos.” Later, he explained to the Tennis Channel what he was thinking in that moment of triumph. “I realised that I'm in the third round,” the 18-year-old said, with a big smile.

This was quite the achievement as Fonseca, on his Wimbledon debut, became the youngest man since Bernard Tomic in 2011 to reach the third round of the Major. And that too in his first year as a professional tennis player.

With the 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 win over Brooksby, the teen from Rio de Janeiro became the first Brazilian since Thomaz Bellucci in 2010 to reach this stage at Wimbledon. Fonseca’s already the No.1 men’s player in his country, and with that he has commanded a great following. There were long queues of fans outside Court 12 hoping to get a glimpse of him at work. Those who have seen Fonseca play know of the aggressive and hard-hitting style that has seen him rise rapidly.