Joao Fonseca scored a routine victory in his first match at the Madrid Masters. The young Brazilian ousted a qualifier Elmer Moller 6-2, 6-3 in an hour and 13 minutes for a place in the second round. Joao liked his performance against an in-form rival.
He praised Moller and his recent run, preparing for a tough opponent and playing well after feeling nervous early on. Despite being younger than his opponent, Fonseca is the more experienced player on the big scene. He used that as one of his weapons against the upcoming Dane.
Joao also opened up about his drop shot, an effective weapon in his arsenal. The Brazilian likes to implement them at the right time and when he attacks and draws his rivals away from the baseline.
Fonseca served at 70% and dropped 18 points in eight service games. He faced no break points and kept the pressure on the other side. Moller lost almost half of the points in his games and faced 13 break points. The Dane did a fine job in saving nine.
However, he lost serve two times in each set to end his campaign in the first round. Joao hit 16 winners and 25 unforced errors. Elmer sprayed too many backhand mistakes and failed to follow the rival’s pace. The Brazilian also forged the advantage in service winners.
Moller had to work hard in his games in the opening set, offering Fonseca 11 break opportunities. A teenager seized two and made the difference. Joao earned three break chances in the third game of the duel, clinching the last with a forced error and moving in front.
Fonseca cemented the lead with a forehand winner in the fourth game and missed three break chances in the next one. Joao held for 4-2 with a forehand winner and generated four break points in the next one. Ge converted the last after the rival’s backhand error for a 5-2 advantage.
The Brazilian served for the opener in game eight and held after a deuce for 6-2 in 36 minutes. Elmer led 2-1 in the second set, already matching his performance from the opener. Fonseca locked the result at 2-2 with a service winner and made a push on the return in the next one.
The Dane faced two break points and fell on the first after Joao’s forehand down the line winner. The Brazilian secured the sixth game with an ace after a deuce and forged a 4-2 advantage. Elmer reduced the gap with a hold in game seven before Joao hit a powerful serve in the next one.
Moller served to stay in the match at 3-5 and faced more issues. The Dane suffered another break after a backhand error, dropping serve and propelling Fonseca over the top.
“It was my first match at Manolo Santana Stadium, and I felt great. I was a bit nervous initially, playing my first match in Madrid and facing an opponent who won the Challenger and qualified for the main draw. I knew it would be a tough match, and I’m happy with my performance.
I’m getting more used to big tournaments and stadiums. That helped me against Elmer, even though he is older than me. I work a lot on my drop shots when I compete on clay. Sometimes, they are tough to execute, but it’s an effective shot on clay.
I like to attack and draw my rivals away from the baseline. Drop shots are very effective in those cases, especially if I hide them, but they have to come at the right moment,” Joao Fonseca said.
