Rio Open Has A Brazilian Quarterfinalist For First Time In Seven Years

Thiago Seyboth Wild, Rio Open
Thiago Seyboth Wild (photo: Rio Open/Fotojump)

RIO DE JANEIRO/WASHINGTON, February 23, 2024 (by Michael Dickens)

For the first time in seven years, there will be a Brazilian player in the Rio Open presented by Claro quarterfinals.

On Thursday, Brazilian No. 1 Thiago Seyboth Wild advanced to the last eight with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 victory over No. 73 Jaume Munar of Spain, in a rain-interrupted second-round match that began Wednesday evening. Spread over two days, it took two hours and 15 minutes for Seyboth Wild to earn his second tour-level win of the season.

By the end of the evening, there were three Brazilians among the Rio quarterfinalists as Thiago Monteiro and Joao Fonseca joined the mix.

The 82nd-ranked Seyboth Wild reached his second career ATP Tour quarterfinal in back of 32 winners, almost four years after winning his first title at Santiago in 2020, when he became the only Brazilian teenager to win a tour-level title in Open Era.

“It’s always tough when you play in two different days,” the 23-year-old Wild said after his victory. “I started really well yesterday and today he came out with more energy and I was a bit more nervous. But I’m really happy with the win and being for the first time at an ATP 500 quarterfinal.”

Seyboth Wild, who outpointed Munar 83-76, will face defending champion and this year’s No. 2 seed Cameron Norrie of Great Britain in Friday’s quarterfinal round. The World No. 23 Norrie dominated 120th-ranked Tomas Barrios Vera of Chile, 6-1, 6-1, in 61 minutes. It was their first meeting. Norrie is 20-1 on clay versus players outside the Top 100 since the start of 2021 season.

Norrie hit 21 winners and made just eight unforced errors against Barrios Vera, whose serve was broken six times by the Briton – three times in each set. Norrie outpointed his opponent 53-24.

I was really accurate with my ball,” said Norrie, who has dropped just seven games in Rio. “I hit very close to the line today and I was able to spread the court and made it difficult for him because I was able to push him back and use the angles. And I was very disciplined on the return. 

“Last night with the rain there was a lot of waiting around but I managed to come out here and reset and played really, really well, so I’m pleased. 

“It’s a good sign for me when I’m hitting the forehand up the line well. Maybe sometimes I go for it a little too much and get a little overconfident, but especially on clay it’s a good one to use to surprise them. But you don’t want to abuse it.”

Monteiro wins all-Brazilian battle against Meligeni Alves

In an all-Brazilian showdown, 117th-ranked wild card Thiago Monteiro reached his 15th ATP Tour quarterfinal and first since Santiago last year after defeating 153rd-ranked qualifier Felipe Meligeni Alves, 7-5, 6-3, in an hour and 42 minutes.

The victory lifted Monteiro into his third quarterfinal on home soil and it denied Meligeni Alves from advancing to his first tour-level quarterfinal. Monteiro overcame 27 winners and 25 unforced errors by Meligeni Alves by hitting 20 winners of his own and committed only 15 unforced errors.

On Friday, Monteiro will face No. 5 seed Sebastian Baez of Argentina, who was a 7-6 (1), 6-3 winner over fellow Argentine Facundo Diaz Acosta, in an hour and 48 minutes. Baez, who outpointed No. 59 Diaz Acosta 75-62, has reached the quarterfinals in eight of 11 South American ATP Tour events he’s entered since the start of 2022 season (2022-24 Cordoba, 2024 Buenos Aires, 2023-24 Rio de Janeiro, 2022-23 Santiago). The loss ended Diaz Acosta’s six-match winning streak.

Living a teen dream in Rio, Fonseca wins again

A day after securing his first ATP Tour victory and becoming the first player born in 2006 to garner a tour-level win, 17-year-old Brazilian wild card Joao Fonseca played off the ecstatic support from Rio fans who filled Quadra Guga Kuerten for his featured Thursday evening match against 2020 Rio Open champion Cristian Garin of a Chile.

The rising Rio hero struck 17 winners, including four aces, and defeated the 88th-ranked Garin, 6-4, 6–4 in one hour and 31 minutes to advance to his first ATP Tour quarterfinal. He’s the second youngest ATP 500 quarterfinalist since the series began in 2009 and also the youngest Brazilian tour-level quarterfinalist in the Open Era.

“I have no words right now,” said the 655th-ranked Fonseca in his on-court interview. “I am so happy and I want to thank the crowd. This victory is for them.

“Cristian is a more experienced guy, so he knows how to play in these situations. It was a difficult match and difficult in this huge stadium, but I am very happy the way I got it.”

Fonseca, who has moved up to No. 341 in the ATP Live Rankings, will play 113th-ranked Argentine qualifier Mario Navone, who eased past No. 56 Yannick Hanfmann of Germany, 6-1, 6-2, in 76 minutes for the biggest win of his career and his first ATP Tour quarterfinal berth. Navone saved both break points he faced and outpointed Hanfmann 60-39.

Around the Jockey Club Brasileiro

No. 58 Dusan Lajovic won an all-Serbian clash against No. 6 seed Laslo Djere, 6-2, 7-5, postponed from Wednesday by rain, to advance to the quarterfinals against No. 4 seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina. The victory by Lajovic, in which he outpointed the 35th-ranked Djere 74-59, moved him into his second Rio de Janeiro quarterfinal in his tenth tournament appearance.

Brazilian doubles specialist Bruno Soares, who retired from tennis following the 2023 season after winning 35 career titles, was honored in a ceremony Thursday evening on Quadra Guga Kuerten.

Now it can be told about Joao Fonseca

Thursday’s Rio Open results

Friday’s Rio Open order of play 

By the numbers

Dusan Lajovic of Serbia has won seven straight matches against compatriots, including wins over Filip Krajinovic, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic en route to his second ATP Tour title in Banja Luka last April.

“Quotable …”

“We have to enjoy having so many [Brazilian] players at a high level at the same time. Hopefully we have two or three in a Grand Slam bracket.”

— Thiago Seyboth Wild, during his post-match news conference, on the number of Brazilian players who have gone deep in this year’s Rio Open.

 

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