MELBOURNE, Australia – João Fonseca definitely introduced himself to the world as men’s tennis’ newest teenage sensation on Tuesday night, defeating No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-6 (5). the first round of the Australian Open.

It was quite the debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the 18-year-old Brazilian, ranked 112th, who made it into the group at Melbourne Park last week with three wins in the qualifying rounds.

The victory over 27-year-old ten-time major quarterfinalist Rublev lasted just under two and a half hours and extended Fonseca’s current unbeaten streak to 14 games. That includes winning the title last month in Saudi Arabia at the Next Gen ATP Finals for top players under 21 and another trophy this month at a lower-tier Challenger tournament in Canberra.

Tennis players have been eyeing Fonseca, the 2023 US Open junior champion, for some time, fascinated by his big serve, powerful groundstrokes and cool demeanor. All of these qualities and more were on display against Rublev at Margaret Court Arena, the second largest stage in Melbourne.

Fonseca scored match point with a backhand winner, which he celebrated by raising his right index finger in a No. 1 gesture and nodding his head. He then finished the game with a forehand over the line, spreading his arms wide and throwing his head back.

“I mean, not bad,” were Fonseca’s first words during his subsequent on-pitch interview.

That brought a smile from him and supportive laughter from the stands, where there were scores of fans carrying his home country’s flag.

“I just enjoyed every moment on this court, this amazing court,” he continued. “It was my first time playing in a huge stadium.”

Fonseca hit serves at speeds of up to 133 miles per hour, delivered 14 aces and had just one double fault while saving five of the six break points he faced.

He amassed a total of 51 winners, 18 more than Rublev, who has been a quarterfinalist in Melbourne in three of the last four years and was Fonseca’s first opponent ranked higher than No. 20.

“I just focused on my game, tried not to put pressure on myself and played against a top 10 player,” Fonseca said. “I just played my game and now we’re in the second round.”

He next faces 55th-ranked Lorenzo Sonego, who beat three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka in four sets earlier on Tuesday.

When asked about the key to his strong game in the tiebreaker against the much more experienced Rublev, Fonseca said he tried to “use all the intensity in the important points”, “take the shots” and show “courage”.

He also cited 20-time major champion Roger Federer as an inspiration.

“As Roger says, ‘Talent is not enough.’ … So I put in a lot of hard work,” Fonseca said. “Only me and my team know.”