The world, especially Brazil, is ready for 19-year-old Joao Fonseca to take flight and become the kind of fixture atop the ATP that Alexander Zverev has been for years. To start getting there, though, Fonseca would have needed to beat the German in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Monte-Carlo Masters. He couldn't.
But he came awfully close, and certainly can't be ashamed of how he played against the current ATP No. 2.
In the first set, Zverev's normally fantastically consistent first serve somewhat abandoned him. He landed just 57 percent of those serves, a far cry from the nearly 70.2 percent he landed in the first part of the year. Somehow, however, this didn't get him into too much trouble, and he never faced a break point.
Alexander Zverev survives against Joao Fonseca in the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters
The Brazilian, though, faced three and let one get by. This was the difference in the set that Zverev won 7-5, partly because Fonseca was playing slightly less efficient tennis. He had eight winners but 14 unforced errors. With a bit better play and Zverev's relatively poor serving, the Brazilian might have broken through.
In set two, the reverse happened of the above, with Fonseca playing more efficiently, and Zverev landing more serves. Oddly, each player broke the other twice (rare for two players with immense serves), and the German was pushed to a tie-break that the Brazilian controlled, setting up a third set.
If tennis fans were hoping for another fantastic set like the first two, they would have been disappointed. Whether through tiredness or nerves, Joao Fonseca struggled in all facets. He had six winners but pushed 16 unforced errors. He also landed just half of his first serves. Zverev got the early break, and that was all he would need to coast to victory and a quick final set, 6-3.
Fonseca did have his best showing at any Masters event so far in his young career, though. Reaching the quarterfinals could set the stage for something bigger the rest of 2026.
Next for Alexander Zverev in the Monte-Carlo Masters semifinals will be the winner of the Jannik Sinner and Felix Auger-Aliassime match. The presumption of many fans is likely that Sinner will face Carlos Alcaraz in the final.