Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca claimed his first tour-level win on grass with a 6-7(8), 6-0, 6-3 victory over Zizou Bergs to reach the second round at Eastbourne on Monday.
The 18-year-old qualifier, who earned the biggest win of his career over then world No. 9 Andrey Rublev in the Australian Open first round earlier this year, will next face defending champion Taylor Fritz.
Bergs edged a tense first set in the tiebreak, saving all three break points he faced, while Fonseca fended off both on his serve. Fonseca responded with a bagel in the second set to level the match.
He raced to a 3-0 lead in the third. Although Bergs broke back for 3-2, Fonseca responded immediately, restoring his advantage to 4-2 as the Belgian continued to struggle. He sealed the win with a confident hold to love.
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“I am very happy to win my first match on grass, here in Eastbourne, in such a nice place and against a very good player,” Fonseca said. “After a tough tiebreak, getting through mentally is very good. I am very happy for this one.”
New Zealand’s Lulu Sun defeated top seed Daria Kasatkina 7-5, 2-6, 6-3. Sun raced to a 4-0 lead in the opening set before Kasatkina stormed back to lead 5-4, but the 24-year-old Kiwi regained control by reeling off the final three games to take it 7-5.
Russian-born Australian Kasatkina responded by going up 4-2 in the second, breaking for 5-2 and serving it out to level.
Sun broke for 2-0 and surged ahead to 3-0 in the decider, keeping Kasatkina on the back foot. The defending champion struggled to create chances as Sun dictated the rallies to secure the win
