RIO DE JANEIRO/WASHINGTON, February 18, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
The Rio Open presented by Claro has been both a blessing and a curse for 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca. While he earned his first ATP Tour wins as a hometown favorite in 2024, defeating Arthur Fils and Cristian Garin as a 655th-ranked wild card, last year he lost in the first round to eventual-finalist Alexandre Muller. It came just a week after he won his first ATP Tour title at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.
Fast forward to now as Fonseca, a native of Rio de Janeiro, took on fellow countryman and 208th-ranked qualifier Thiago Monteiro. The 31-year-old lefty, owner of the most Rio main draw wins amongst Brazilians (10), sought to advance to the second round for the ninth time in 10 appearances at the 12th edition of the ATP 500 event on red clay at the Jockey Club Brasileiro.
First win of 2026
Brazil’s own Joao Fonseca overcomes compatriot Monteiro 7-6 6-1 in Rio!@RioOpenOficial pic.twitter.com/t0czgm2VrD
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 18, 2026
However, looking for his first win of the season after going 0-2 to start 2026 – and first victory since defeating Denis Shapovalov at the Rolex Paris masters last October – the third-seeded Fonseca, fit again after recovering from a lower-back injury, faced a Brazilian for the time at tour-level in his young career.
Guess what? Fonseca won. He cruised to a 7-6 (1), 6-1 victory over Monteiro in one hour and 34 minutes on Quadra Guga Kuerten.
Fonseca, just the second Brazilian seeded in the tournament’s history, won 84 percent (36 of 43) of his first-serve points, hit seven aces and 31 winners overall and converted two of five break points. He faced no break points on his serve and outpointed Monteiro 71-50.
João Fonseca leva a batalha de brasileiros, vence Thiago Monteiro com 7/6 (1) 6/1 no placar e registra sua primeira vitória em simples da temporada em casa!
O nosso cabeça de chave 3 enfrenta nas oitavas de final o peruano Ignacio Buse #RioOpen pic.twitter.com/8Lam4qk2Ig
— Rio Open (@RioOpenOficial) February 18, 2026
“It’s just amazing having my first victory of the year [here] after a tough few months,” Fonseca said during his on-court interview. “It’s just super special, so I’m very happy.”
By winning, Fonseca ensures a Brazilian will be in the second round at Rio for the 11th time in 12 editions of the event with the only exception coming back in 2018. Next, Fonseca will face No. 91 Ignacio Buse of Peru in the second round on Thursday.
Around the Jockey Club Brasileiro
• Former World No. 6 Matteo Berrettini of Italy, who was making his second Rio appearance following his 2022 quarterfinal run, opened play on Quadra Guga Kuerten with a 7-6 (1), 7-5 victory over 107th-ranked Chilean Tomas Barrios Vera, one of four lucky losers in the main draw, in two hours and 25 minutes.
With an excellent 23-5 win-loss record on clay since the start of the 2023 season – including title runs in Marrakech, Gstaad and Kitzbuhel in 2024 – the 57th ranked Berrettini saved all five break points he faced from his Barrios Vera and outpointed him 89-74.
“It wasn’t an easy match, facing a lucky loser is always complicated,” Berrettini said during his post-match news conference. “He’s an aggressive player, very talented and he played really well. Winning a match like this gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the tournament.”
Matteo Berrettini nas oitavas de final!
Ele fecha em 7/6 (1) 7/5 contra Barrios Vera e agora pega Dusan Lajovic #RioOpen pic.twitter.com/7Wf37zuljP
— Rio Open (@RioOpenOficial) February 17, 2026
• Buenos Aires champion Francisco Cerundolo, ranked World No. 19 and the top seed in Rio, advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 win over 74th-ranked fellow Argentine Mariano Navone for his fifth straight victory, while Argentina Open runner-up and last year’s Rio finalist Luciano Darderi, the World No. 21 and second seed, fell to Cerundolo’s younger brother, No. 78 Juan Manuel Cerundolo, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. Francisco Cerundolo leads the ATP Tour in clay wins since the start of the 2024 season with 47, followed by Darderi with 44.
• No. 4 seed Sebastian Baez of Argentina fell to 147th-ranked Jaime Faria of Portugal, 7-5, 6-1, while No. 5 seed Camilo Ugo Carabelli of Argentina, ranked 46th, was upset by 102nd-ranked fellow Argentine Roman Andres Burruchaga, 6-3, 6-4. Meanwhile, No. 8 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry, ranked 51st, won an all-Argentine first-round match over No. 63 Francisco Comesana, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Five wins on the trot
Buenos Aires champion and Rio top seed @FranCerundolo sees off Navone 6-3 6-4! pic.twitter.com/CU1ZYl0tOt
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 18, 2026
• Brazilian Luis “Guto” Miguel, who turns 17 next week, lost in his bid to become the first player born in 2009 or later to win an ATP Tour or Grand Slam match – and the second-youngest match winner at the Rio event after Carlos Alcaraz at age 16 in 2020.
The 1593rd-ranked wild card Miguel fell to Lithuanian qualifier Vilius Gaubas, ranked a career-high No. 126, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, in two hours and 11 minutes on Quadra Guga Kuerten. Miguel hit 21 winners but committed 39 unforced errors and saw his serve broken three times. Despite losing, he outpointed Gaubas 85-79.
Weathering a Rio storm ️
Qualifier Vilius Gaubas fends off a remarkable effort from 16-year-old Guto of Brazil, 6-3 2-6 6-2! pic.twitter.com/KmP7Y6IxC6
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 18, 2026
Wednesday’s Rio Open order of play
By the numbers
Matteo Berrettini is 15-1 in his last 16 opening round matches on clay, with his sole loss against Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round at Monte-Carlo in 2024. He’s now 18-3 versus players ranked outside the Top 100 on clay with his last loss coming against then-No. 186 Daniel Altmaier at Roland-Garros in 2020.
“Quotable …”
“It’s amazing. It’s an honor. Having my family, my grandparents, my friends as well … it’s just huge.”
– Joao Fonseca of Brazil, during his on-court interview Tuesday, on what it meant to win his first ATP Tour match of the season in Rio after missing much of the early season while recovering from a lower back injury.
