By Shrivathsa Sridhar MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Endless queues outside Melbourne Park's 1573 Arena on a sunny Thursday afternoon gave casual fans the impression that a Grand Slam champion was in action, but a quick peek inside revealed the carnival atmosphere and explained the interest.

Joao Fonseca definitively introduced himself to the world as the latest teen sensation in men’s tennis, upsetting No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev in the first round of the Australian Open.

Fonseca was part of the 2024 lineup alongside Fils and Luca Van Assche of France; Michelsen, eventual finalist Learner Tien and Nishesh Basavareddy of the U.S.; Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic and Shang Juncheng of China, who also goes by his Americanized name, Jerry Shang.

Brazilian teen Joao Fonseca was one of the first surprises of the 2025 Australian Open, after he defeated ninth seed Andrey Rublev. Check out all you need to know about this young talent.

Teenage rising star Joao Fonseca said nerves got the better of him after being bundled out of the Australian Open by Italian Lorenzo Sonego in a five-set thriller on Thursday.

Fonseca has long looked like a star-in-waiting. Under pressure in his first Grand Slam set, he delivered beyond those lofty expectations

Brazil have known about Fonseca’s talent known for some time, making his ATP Tour debut at his home tournament in Rio as a 16-year-old wildcard. Fonseca also got the chance to be a hitting partner for Alcaraz and Sinner ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin after winning the US Open junior title in 2023.

While Fonseca appears on a trajectory to match it with the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, it was Beatriz Haddad Maia who laid the groundwork for the Brazilian party as she put away Erika Andreeva in straight sets to move into the third round.

At just 18, João Fonseca is putting the tennis world on notice, as illustrated by his clinical straight-sets victory over ninth seed Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open.