Rising star Joao Fonseca matches Roger Federer milestone with Basel breakthrough

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Joao Fonseca has booked a place in the biggest final of his young career after beating Jaume Munar in straight sets at the Swiss Indoors in Basel.

Fonseca won 7-6, 7-5, becoming the first Brazilian to reach an ATP 500 final. The match was tight throughout, but he managed to get over the line without dropping a set.

The 19-year-old chose not to play during the Asian swing but has returned well, starting strong on indoor hard-courts.

He began his campaign with a win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard before moving past Denis Shapovalov in the quarters, helped by a walkover earlier on.

He was already ahead against Shapovalov when the Canadian retired from their third-set decider.

Now, following his win over Munar, Fonseca has found himself alongside Roger Federer in the record books.

Joao Fonseca matches Roger Federer’s mark at Basel Swiss Indoors

Fonseca is now the fourth-youngest finalist in the history of the Swiss Indoors, having reached the final at the same age as Federer.

The Brazilian matched Federer’s age in achieving this feat, with only three players in the Open Era reaching the final younger.

Mats Wilander reached the title match in 1982 at just 18 years old. He was seeded second that year but lost to top seed Yannick Noah in a four-set contest.

Beyond him, Jim Courier and Goran Ivanisevic also reached the Basel final at a younger age.

Joao Fonseca set to face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Basel final

Fonseca will play Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Swiss Indoors final, a player he has faced just once before at tour level.

Their only ATP meeting came earlier this year in Cincinnati, where Fonseca dropped the first set in a tiebreak before taking the second. Davidovich Fokina then retired due to injury, with Fonseca leading 5-4.

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This time, the Spaniard will pose a bigger challenge. He has been playing well throughout the week and is also chasing his first ATP title of any kind.