Fonseca Defeated in First Round by De Jong at Estoril Challenger

This week in Portugal, the Estoril Challenger is taking place, and the lineup is enticing for this tournament. Players like Félix Auger-Aliassime, Nicolas Jarry, Miomir Kecmanovic, Nuno Borges, and Alex Michelsen are all present and will compete in the second round.

The last headline name of the event, João Fonseca, the No. 8 seed in Estoril, hoped to join them. To do so, the Brazilian, ranked 65th in the world, needed to overcome Jesper De Jong, a 24-year-old Dutch player ranked 93rd in the ATP rankings. But things did not go as planned for the Buenos Aires tournament winner from February.

Indeed, Fonseca struggled against his opponent’s solid play (19 winners and 14 unforced errors) and could not turn the match around. De Jong ultimately won in straight sets (6-2, 7-5) and will face lucky loser Bernabé Zapata Miralles for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Having won two Challengers this year in Canberra and Phoenix, Fonseca is now eliminated in the first round in Portugal. His next challenge will be the Rome Masters 1000, taking place next week.