End of the streak for Fonseca: Khachanov gets the better of the Brazilian at the Rolex Paris Masters

The duel between the young Brazilian and the experienced Russian lived up to all its promises. Fonseca showed his talent and fighting spirit, but Khachanov knew how to prevail at the crucial moment, ending his opponent's winning streak.

End of the streak for Joao Fonseca. Winner of the ATP 500 in Basel last Sunday and also of his first round yesterday against Denis Shapovalov in Paris, the Brazilian was challenging Karen Khachanov this evening on the central court in Nanterre.

A clash of big hitters which concluded with the Russian's victory in three sets (6-1, 3-6, 6-3). The 2018 tournament champion, Khachanov capitalized on a very poor start from Fonseca (13 unforced errors in the first set) to take control of the match, even before earning three break opportunities right at the start of the second set.

Through sheer courage, Fonseca got out of trouble and gradually found his level again, hitting 17 winners to take the match to a third set. However, the Brazilian prodigy cracked in the money-time, letting Khachanov run away to the round of 16 in Paris.

The Russian, also a semi-finalist last year, continues to prove that he enjoys the playing conditions of the Parisian event. He will face Alex de Minaur tomorrow, who had a tough battle against Gabriel Diallo (7-6, 4-6, 6-3).