João Fonseca reveals feeling of victory in Slam under the presence of Guga

João Fonseca continues to write his name in the history of world tennis. The 19-year-old defeated Norwegian Casper Ruud by 3 sets to 1 (7-5, 7-6, 5-7 and 6-2) and qualified for the Roland Garros quarterfinals.

In the next phase, João will face Czech Jakub Mensik. The 20-year-old tennis player eliminated world number 13 Andrey Rublev this Sunday (31) by 3 sets to 2.

The triumph on the Philippe-Chatrier court had a special spectator. Guga, one of the biggest names in the history of Brazilian tennis, was in the front row to watch another remarkable performance from the national prodigy.

After the match, João Fonseca praised Guga's career and expressed happiness at having the former tennis player watching the duel in Paris.

"He is an idol of our sport and our country. And for his charisma, for the way he is, for his humility. He was here for my first time at Roland Garros, in my first match as a junior, and it's a pleasure to have him here. It's a pleasure to beat a very difficult opponent in his presence. I'm very happy", said João after the duel.

João Fonseca surpasses Guga
With the victory over Ruud, João Fonseca surpassed a mark that belonged to Guga himself. At 19 years, 9 months and 10 days, he became the youngest Brazilian to reach the Roland Garros quarterfinals in the Open Era.

In 1997, Gustavo Kuerten reached this stage at the age of 20. The campaign ended with the victory of the first of his three titles on Parisian clay.

In addition to breaking the record, João also ended a long absence in Brazilian men's tennis. The last time a representative of the country had reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam singles was precisely with Guga, at Roland Garros, in 2004.

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Source: CNN