Fonseca keeps winning, advances in Australian Open qualifying

Fonseca keeps winning, advances in Australian Open qualifying

There is no stopping Joao Fonseca right now. The #NextGenATP Brazilian advanced to the second round of qualifying at the Australian Open on Tuesday when he defeated Argentine Federico Agustin Gomez 6-4, 6-0.

The 18-year-old won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF title last month and then captured his second ATP Challenger Tour crown in Canberra on Saturday. Fonseca has won his past 11 matches and will next play Coleman Wong after the Hong Kong star beat Dmitry Popko 7-5, 3-6, 7-5.

Fonseca, who is aiming to qualify for a major for the first time, defeated Learner Tien in the Next Gen title match in Jeddah. The 19-year-old American got his qualifying campaign in Melbourne underway with a 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-1 win against Frenchman Gregoire Barrere.

The 16-year-old Cruz Hewitt, son of former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Lleyton Hewitt, couldn’t follow Fonseca and Tien into the second round. The Australian lost to former Top 20 star Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 6-4.

There were wins for American Ethan Quinn, Portugal’s Henrique Rocha, Hungarian Marton Fucsovics and Italian Mattia Bellucci. Quinn overcame Calvin Hemery 6-4, 7-5, Rocha beat Henri Squire 6-3, 6-3, Fucsovics downed Spaniard Oriol Roca Batalla 6-4, 6-4 and Bellucci eliminated Australian wild card Pavle Marinkov 6-3, 6-3.

Bernard Tomic has reached the third round in Melbourne three times. He will not repeat that feat this year, though, losing to Jozef Kovalik. Kovalik triumphed 6-3, 6-1. There was Australian success for Dane Sweeny and Blake Ellis. Sweeny defeated Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-6(4), 6-2 and Ellis overcame Antoine Escoffier 6-2, 6-1.

Great Britain’s Billy Harris, who competed at the United Cup, earned a 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 win against Yuta Shimizu and Lukas Klein beat Alexis Galarneau 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.