Two matches in, he’s on his way to reasserting himself on tour after having one foot out the door in his second-round match with Karen Khachanov. Fonseca staved off a pair of match points, all while making the most of an atmosphere that felt like a home-court advantage to prevail, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4.
“Those are the victories we look for on tour. Saved match points, had ups and downs, got through and fought a lot,” he told Prakash Amritraj on Tennis Channel.
Khachanov’s two chances to close out the match came in the second-set tiebreaker at 6-4. Fonseca made a key return to help get back on serve and once the scoreboard was level, seized control of the encounter.
“The experience on tour is pretty important, to have it and understand how it is. The consistency is what changes the Top 50 from the Top 20, the consistency on matches and results. So that’s what I’m looking for,” he said.
“Now I’m feeling confidence again and feeling healthy. So very happy because of that. I think Joao from last year Indian Wells and Joao from now is much more mature.”
