Joao Fonseca lost his only match at the Argentina Open, extending his losing streak to three straight matches.
It was a completely different story for Fonseca at this event last year when he claimed his first ATP title and began to make a name for himself on tour.
After such an impressive breakout season, some began tipping him as a future Grand Slam winner and someone who could push Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
The early part of 2026 hasn’t been kind to him, though. A back injury hampered his build-up to the Australian Open, where he went out in the opening round.
Fonseca had hoped Buenos Aires would mark a turnaround, but things didn’t go according to plan as he was unable to defend his title.
Joao Fonseca shares his thoughts on comparisons to Carlos Alcaraz
Fonseca entered the Argentina Open as the third seed and received a bye into the second round. There, he faced a tough opponent in Alejandro Tabilo, a former top 20 player with wins over Novak Djokovic on his record.
Fonseca managed to force a deciding set but was edged out by Tabilo 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
Following his early exit, Fonseca was asked about the pressure of being labelled the next big thing on tour.
He’s previously pushed back against comparisons to Gustavo Kuerten and did so again, this time also distancing himself from Alcaraz.
“They say ‘Joao is going to be the next Guga, the next Alcaraz’, I’m writing my own story and doing everything at my own pace,” Fonseca said in his press conference. “What I can do on my part is work really hard on my mentality and my physique.”
Joao Fonseca finding positives after latest loss
Fonseca is now on a three-match losing streak, with his last win coming at the Paris Masters in October.
The 19-year-old is choosing to focus on some positives from his latest performance.
Fonseca believes he needs to improve both his serve and return, seeing those adjustments as clear areas of focus going forward.
“Working a lot technically on the serve, return, which is very important in this return.” said Fonseca. “The serve is essential for any surface. Physically, we have to improve. The good thing is that we have to improve many things.”
His next opportunity will come at the Rio Open, where he’ll be aiming to turn things around in front of his home fans.
He won’t be under much pressure regarding ranking points either, having lost in the first round there last year.
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