Rio de Janeiro
Hometown hero Fonseca earns first win of the season in Rio de Janeiro
Berrettini, Etcheverry, Cerundolo advance at the ATP 500
February 18, 2026
Rio Open presented by Claro
Joao Fonseca in action on Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro.
By Vishakha Khandelwal
There is no place quite like home to find some rhythm again.
Following an injury setback and a series of early exits, hometown hero Joao Fonseca earned his first win of the season Tuesday at the Rio Open presented by Claro by defeating countryman Thiago Monteiro 7-6(1), 6-1 in the opening round.
In his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting against Monteiro, Fonseca delivered a dominant serving display. He fired seven aces, including two in a clutch opening set tie-break, and won 84 per cent (36/43) of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Buoyed by a boisterous home crowd, the 19-year-old claimed the win 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 held firm to defeat Tomas Barrios Vera 7-6(1), 7-5. The match featured only one break of serve when Berrettini broke Barrios Vera in the final game to seal his two-hour, 25-minute win against the Chilean.
Argentines Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Juan Manuel Cerundolo also advanced to the second round. Etcheverry defeated Francisco Comesana 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 and Cerundolo upset 2025 finalist second-seeded Luciano Darderi 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. This came two days after Juan Manuel’s older brother, Francisco Cerundolo, beat Darderi in the Buenos Aires final.
