Fonseca Makes Brussels Debut, Feels Fresh And Energetic

Joao Fonseca (photo: Belga/David Pintens)

BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON, October 14, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

Reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Joao Fonseca exemplifies the essence of the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open’s joie de vivre. The 19-year-old Brazilian is a young and upcoming star of the sport who plays with intensity and emotion – and he brings a fighting spirit to the court each time he plays. The tournament, which is showcasing Fonseca both to fans and media alike, is hoping he makes a deep run this week during the 10th edition of the tournament in its new home of Brussels, the Belgian capital city.

On Sunday afternoon, as part of this year’s ATP 250 indoor hardcourt event at the Brussels Expo, the Ethias Next Gen Day proved to be a highlight, thanks to the appearance of Fonseca. Eight young tennis talents enjoyed an exclusive training session alongside professional coaches and players that was followed by an afternoon sports conference that was attended by 150 children and their parents. 

Fonseca, who is currently ranked No. 45 in the latest PIF ATP Rankings and seeded seventh in Brussels, took time to pose for photos with the participants and well as a question and answer session.

Joao Fonseca, Zizou Bergs, Jiri Lehecka

Joao Fonseca, Zizou Bergs, Jiri Lehecka (photo: Belga/David Pintens)

On Monday, as part of Media Day activities, Fonseca, Jiri Lehecka of Czechia and homegrown Zizou Bergs of Belgium visited the Atomium monument, the most famous landmark in the Belgian capital city, which represents an enlarged iron atom. The structure is 165 billion times the size of a real atom. Despite a light, misty rain, each of the players enjoyed the breathtaking panoramic views from the top sphere.

Later on, Fonseca and the others donned chef’s hats and aprons to decorate a birthday cake marking the tournament’s 10th anniversary. While each showed off their creativity, Bergs was deemed the best chef of them all and received a gold medal from tournament director Dick Norman.

“This is my first time visiting Belgium, and I’m really impressed by the city, the atmosphere, and the incredible views,” Fonseca said. “I’m very excited to play here. After a long season, I still feel fresh. I skipped the Asian tour, so I’ve got some energy left and hope to show my best tennis.”

Tuesday evening, Fonseca will be featured on Centre Court inside the Brussels Expo in a first-round match against No. 86 Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands. It will be Fonseca’s first tour action since losing to Czechia’s Tomas Machac in the second round of the US Open in late August. It’s also his first ATP 250 tournament under a roof, where he will be looking to add to his tour-level trophy collection to go with his first ATP Tour title won last February in Buenos Aires.

“It’s been an amazing year overall, on every level,” said Fonseca, a native of Rio de Janeiro, who has compiled a 21-14 win-loss record in his first full season on the ATP Tour and last month because the youngest player to win a match at the Laver Cup. “Expectations are high, I know, but I just try to keep growing as a player and as a person. My idol? Roger Federer, of course. He made the hardest things look effortless.”

Giron Wins Brussels Expo debut over Bellucci

In the opening match of the main draw inside Brussels Expo, No. 54 Marcos Giron of the United States took advantage of a couple of early service breaks in each set to defeat No. 71 Matthias Bellucci of Italy, 6-4, 6-3, in one hour and 18 minutes. The victory advanced the American No. 8 to the second round against World No. 20 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who is seeded fourth.

Against the 71st-ranked Bellucci, Giron struck 25 winners – including 10 aces – and made 17 unforced errors. He won 82 percent (31 of 38) of his first-serve points, saved the only break point he faced and converted two of four break-point opportunities against Bellucci. He outpointed his opponent 68-50.

During his on-court interview, Giron, 32, said the early service breaks in each set helped him to focus on his own game and to play more freely. “Absolutely,” he said. “I wish every match I play I could get a break in the first game of the first set and the same in the second. I’m really happy with how I performed today. 

“Mattia is a very good player, he’s young and has been playing great overall. He has a lot of options to his game. I think he’s an exciting player. Going in, I knew it would be a tough match. I knew I had to play well from the start. I’m happy with how I served.”

Giron added: “I always enjoy playing here in Belgium. I feel like for whatever reason, I feel very comfortable.”

In his fourth appearance in Belgium, Giron has been a quarterfinalist in 2020, and last year reached the semifinals. Fourteen of his 21 wins this season have come on hard-court surfaces.

Bonzi masters big-server Opelka for second-straight week

No. 53 Benjamin Bonzi of France showed his first-round straight-set win over Reilly Opelka of the United States 11 days ago at the Rolex Shanghai Masters wasn’t a fluke. In Monday’s opening round in Brussels, Bonzi defeated the 62nd-ranked American, 6-4, 6-4, by breaking Opelka once in each set while playing steady tennis throughout the 69-minutes contest.

Bonzi, seeking his first win in Brussels after bowing in the first round as a qualifier two years ago, broke the match open from 3-all in the first set by winning five straight games. He hit 14 winners, made just nine unforced errors, and outpointed Opelka 62-44. Bonzi withstood 13 aces and 22 winners overall from the 6-foot-11-inch Opelka and took advantage of 24 unforced errors. Bonzi won 89 percent (31 of 35) of his first-serve points and faced no break points on his serve.

“Of course, it’s always easier when you played someone the past week, and I knew how he would serve,” Bonzi said during his on-court interview after improving his tour-level win-loss record to 14-19 this season. “But it’s completely different conditions here than in Shanghai. It was way slower in China. Here, it is pretty fast. It’s very classic indoors. His serve is way more efficient, but I’m very happy with the way I managed to return serve and to play points when I was successful to put it back into the court. It was a great first match here.”

The 29-year-old Bonzi added: “It’s always nice to win matches to start the week like this, to play with this efficiency. It’s not easy to play Reilly because there is no rhythm with his serve. … It’s tough to play from the baseline but I’m happy with the way I did.”

Next, Bonzi, who finished the 2024 season by winning 21 of 22 indoor matches at all levels and won his first ATP Tour crown in Metz, will face the winner of Tuesday’s first round match between No. 6 seed Sebastian Baez of Argentina, ranked 44th, and 70th-ranked French lucky loser Valentin Royer.

Around the Brussels Expo

• Qualifying draw singles play wrapped up Monday. Among those advancing to the main draw were: No. 2 seed Nikolaz Basilashvili of Georgia, who rallied to defeat No. 7 seed Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4); No. 3 seed Eliot Spizzirri of the United States, who knocked off No. 5 seed Alexander Blockx of Belgium, 7-6 (4), 6-3; alternate Gilles Arnaud Bailly of Belgium, who upset No. 1 seed Valentin Royer of France, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2); and No. 8 seed Yannick Hanfmann of Germany, who defeated Belgian wild card Tibo Colson, 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-2.

Next, Basilashvili, ranked 101st, will face No. 77 Quentin Halys of France in the first round, while Spizzirri, ranked 111th, was paired against No. 89 Pedro Martinez of Spain. Also, the 247th-ranked Bailly will take on No. 51 Daniel Altmaier of Germany and the 139th-ranked Hanfmann will oppose No. 74 Matteo Arnaldi of Italy.

• Defending champion Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain withdrew from the competition due to a right leg injury. His place in the draw was taken by lucky loser Valentin Royer of France.

Gregoire Jacq and Nicolas Mahut of France, who received an alternate slot in the doubles draw as late replacements for Marcos Giron of the United States and Zizou Bergs of Belgium, were defeated by Czechia duo Petr Nouza and Patrik Rikl, 6-4, 7-6 (4), in one hour and 17 minutes on Court 1.

Monday’s European Open results

Tuesday’s European Open order of play

By the numbers

There is a nine-way tie for most BNP Paribas Fortis European Open titles won with one. Nobody has won the title twice. Of the first nine winners, only one is entered in this year’s 10th edition of the indoor hardcourt event in Brussels: No. 2 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, who won the title in 2022.

“Quotable …”

“We’re thrilled to be here in Brussels, even if it took a lot of work to get everything ready on time. Thanks to the support of Tennium, the City of Brussels, and BNP Paribas Fortis, we hade it happen. It’s an impressive venue that allows us to focus on experience and fun. There are lots of children in attendance, and it’s great to see the public really embracing the event. 

“It’s also a perfect opportunity to discover new talent, players who might not yet be household names but who get a chance to shine on a big stage. Both the ATP and the players have given us very positive feedback. They appreciate the space, the organization, and our efforts to make this tournament truly special. We feel at home here, and we plan to stay for a long time.”

Dick Norman, BNP Paribas Fortis European Open tournament director, speaking during Media Day activities on Monday.