Fonseca clinches first grass-court win, Sun ousts defending champion Kasatkina in Eastbourne
June 23 (Reuters) - Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca claimed his first tour-level win on grass with a 6-7(8) 6-0 6-3 victory over Zizou Bergs to reach the second round at Eastbourne on Monday.
The 18-year-old qualifier, who earned the biggest win of his career over then world number nine Andrey Rublev in the Australian Open first round earlier this year, will next face defending champion Taylor Fritz.
Bergs edged a tense first set in the tiebreak, saving all three break points he faced, while Fonseca fended off both on his serve. Fonseca responded with a bagel in the second set to level the match.
He raced to a 3-0 lead in the third. Although Bergs broke back for 3-2, Fonseca responded immediately, restoring his advantage to 4-2 as the Belgian continued to struggle. He sealed the win with a confident hold to love.
"I am very happy to win my first match on grass, here in Eastbourne, in such a nice place and against a very good player," Fonseca said. "After a tough tiebreak, getting through mentally is very good. I am very happy for this one."
New Zealand's Lulu Sun defeated top seed Daria Kasatkina 7-5 2-6 6-3. Sun raced to a 4-0 lead in the opening set before Kasatkina stormed back to lead 5-4, but the 24-year-old Kiwi regained control by reeling off the final three games to take it 7-5.
Russian-born Australian Kasatkina responded by going up 4-2 in the second, breaking for 5-2 and serving it out to level.
Sun broke for 2-0 and surged ahead to 3-0 in the decider, keeping Kasatkina on the back foot. The defending champion struggled to create chances as Sun dictated the rallies to secure the win.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Botafogo deserve respect for progressing from 'group of death', says Freitas
PASADENA, June 23 (Reuters) - Botafogo have defied their critics by making it to the Club World Cup last 16, captain Marlon Freitas said, even after his side lost 1-0 to Atletico Madrid and finished second in Group B on Monday. Antoine Griezmann's late strike secured victory for Atletico, but it was not enough to overhaul the Brazilian side's goal difference as they finished second to Paris St Germain in Group B. Freitas emphasised the achievement of advancing to the knockout stage from what many had dubbed the "group of death". "Sure, we wanted to win, and I think we had our chances. We knew how to defend, and I believe we deserved at least a draw. Conceding that late goal was heartbreaking because we wanted to finish top of the group," Freitas told TV Globo. "However, we should celebrate because, before the tournament started, everyone thought we had no chance against two top opponents from major European leagues. We've shown the value of Brazilian football. We are champions of South America, and we deserve respect." Veteran defender Alex Telles echoed Freitas' comments. "It's difficult to talk about it right now," Telles said. "PSG and Atletico showed us more respect than most fans and pundits did. The team did what it had to do to advance to the next stage. "Here we are, those who some said came to see Mickey in Disneyland, through to the round of 16 in the group of death. Qualifying shows the work done by this incredible group of men." Botafogo will now face the Group A winners on Saturday, while PSG take on the runners-up on Sunday.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
World 550 Stewart two matches away from Wimbledon
Scotland's Hamish Stewart has navigated three of five rounds in the world 550's first attempt to qualify for the Wimbledon men's singles at 25-year-old from Strathblane defeated former Davis Cup player Liam Broady 4-6 6-4 7-5 to become one of four British players granted wild cards into Wimbledon on Monday he saved a match point before progressing against Valentin Vacherot of Monaco when his opponent was forced to retire after slipping on the was trailing 6-4 6-5 at the time to the 26-year-old who is currently ranked 267 in the world. The Scot, who played Junior Wimbledon in his teens, next faces French 21-year-old Luca Van Assche, who has a career high of 63 but is currently 186, defeated Juan Manuel Cerundolo, the world number 107 who was seeded three for the qualifying tournament, 7-6 beating 31-year-old Broady, who has slipped to 632 in the rankings, Stewart had defeated another Englishman, Ben Jones, ranked 620, 6-4 mainly on the third-tier ITF Futures circuit, Stewart warmed up for Wimbledon qualifying with a 7-6 6-2 defeat by United States' world 191 Murphy Cassone in an attempt to qualify for the second-tier Challenger event in Ilkley. Should Stewart defy his ranking and oust Van Assche, he will need to then overcome either Swiss world 374 Leandro Riedi or Argentine 24th seed Federico Agustin Gomez, currently 134, to claim one of the 16 qualifying places for the main begins on 30 June, with Scotland's Jacob Fearnley and Cameron Norrie already in the main draw.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Emma Raducanu speaks out after her stalker was caught trying to buy Wimbledon tickets - months after being given restraining order in Dubai
Emma Raducanu has thanked Wimbledon for doing 'an amazing job' in ensuring her stalker could not acquire tickets for the Championships. The man, whose pursuit of Raducanu across four countries came to a head in Dubai in February, was on a waiting list for Wimbledon tickets until his name was removed by the All England Club. 'Wimbledon and everyone did an amazing job. I got a notification, the police contacted me and told me everything was OK,' Raducanu told BBC Sport. 'I know that I am not the first athlete to go through this, and I probably won't be the last — not just as an athlete, but females in general. 'I have a lot more protection around me — especially the ones here in the UK, where it's busy and there's more spectators around. 'I feel a difference, and that reassures me and makes me feel more comfortable.' With Wimbledon less than a week away, Raducanu is still contending with pain from a back spasm she suffered in Strasbourg in May. 'It's OK, I'm still managing it, to be honest,' said the British No 1 in Eastbourne, where she will play her first-round match against American Ann Li on Tuesday. 'I have good days and bad days with it. I trained a fair bit last week in London and it was good. I was getting a lot of treatment and then woke up pretty stiff at the weekend, took a day off and then trained yesterday and today. 'But it needs a lot of work and it is up and down. I'm just trying to manage it as best as I can.' Raducanu overcame a fear of needles to have acupuncture treatment at the French Open. She is trying that and anything else she and her team can think of to quieten the pain in time for Wimbledon. 'Doing everything: needles, soft tissue, some muscle stimulation stuff, taping, everything,' she said. 'It's just ongoing but it seems to be OK today.' In a year when her fitness record has generally been excellent, this nagging back issue has now reared its head before each of the three Grand Slams. Raducanu seemed in good spirits by the seaside, however, especially when discussing her new doubles partner. The US Open last week announced the pairings for their revamped, $1million mixed doubles event in August and among the more eye-catching alliances was Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz. 'He messaged me and asked me to play, I was very surprised — and excited,' said Raducanu, speaking for the first time since the pairing was announced. 'I've known him so long. He's so nice, very happy, amazing values and just a really positive light to be around. 'Wimbledon 2021 was the first time I started getting to know him,' said Raducanu. 'He was always playing the day before me, I would see him win and then I would have motivation to win and get myself into that position too. It was really cool to go through that tournament together and then we stayed in touch the whole US Open. He's obviously overtaken me a lot, but it's nice that we have that from a while ago.'
