For his part, Fonseca believes his level is already close—though he knows there is still work to be done if he wants to consistently compete with the sport’s elite, including Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
“I think my level… I can play against them. I can do some great matches,” Fonseca said.
“There is always the little important things that you need to work every day. Those little details are just super important, like when he played the important points and how he deal with it. (He has) a lot of experience, I still need it, but I think the level is still there. Of course far, but I can play against them…
“I feel happy the way that I played, because I felt the level was pretty close today.”
It was also a learning experience for the 19-year-old, who had his chances during their round-of-16 encounter. Fonseca held a 6-3 lead in the first-set tiebreak before Sinner saved three set points. In the second set, the Brazilian rallied from 2-5 down to force another tiebreak.
Each time, however, Sinner raised his level in the key moments to escape trouble.
