This promises to be a stepping stone for the 19-year-old player toward even greater achievements in her career.
On his first visit to the homeland of legend Roger Federer, Joao Fonseca played with maturity and confidence. The 19-year-old defeated the Spanish seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the 2025 Basel Open (Swiss Indoors) after 1 hour and 25 minutes, securing his second ATP title and breaking into the world top 30.
This achievement makes Fonseca the seventh youngest ATP 500 champion since 1990 and the fourth youngest to reach this milestone since 2000, joining great names like Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal, and Carlos Alcaraz. It is also the biggest title of the Brazilian teenager's career after winning the ATP 250 Argentina Open earlier this year (defeating Francisco Cerundolo).
Against a more experienced opponent, Fonseca showed impressive form, serving with a 79% success rate and saving 3 out of 4 break points. In contrast, Davidovich Fokina struggled, losing 46% of points on his serve and being broken 3 times.
The turning point came early in the match when Fonseca broke in the second game thanks to an unforced backhand error from his opponent. He maintained the lead to close the first set 6-3 in just 40 minutes. In the second set, the Brazilian player started strong again, securing an early break and keeping up a high pace with powerful forehands and agile court movement.
Although Davidovich Fokina fought back with aces to prolong the match, Fonseca remained composed. He finished the match with a flawless service game, sealing the victory 6-4 in the deciding set.
"This is the best week of my career." Fonseca said after the match. "I've always dreamed of competing and winning at big tournaments like this."