Brazilian rising star Joao Fonseca demonstrated resilience by overcoming a third-set deficit to defeat British player Jacob Fearnley 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 on Thursday at Indian Wells.
The teenager, who earned his place in history as the 10th-youngest ATP Tour winner with his victory at the Argentina Open in February, said: "Today was petty difficult, a lot of windy, but I got through. Beginning of the match I played really well and he was making some mistakes. But the second set he played more aggressive and I was a bit more tight, maybe a bit more nervous."
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Fearnley seemed to gain the upper hand after breaking Fonseca's serve in the third set's third game, and subsequently held his serve for a 3-1 lead in a lengthy game that reached deuce on five occasions.
However, Fonseca responded by claiming the following five games in succession, securing two service breaks and finishing the competitive match between the world's 80th and 81st-ranked competitors with a decisive backhand volley winner.
In the women's opening round, Olympic champion Belinda Bencic from Switzerland secured a straightforward victory against Germany's Tatjana Maria, winning 6-1, 6-1 in a swift 65-minute match.
The Abu Dhabi champion from February 2024, Bencic, who welcomed her daughter Bella in April 2023, has made an impressive return to competitive tennis following her maternity break.
The 27-year-old Swiss player, who has exceeded expectations in her return to the sport, acknowledged that managing the playing conditions was crucial to her success in the match.
"Obviously today the main topic was the wind, trying to accept it and not trying to make it pretty -- just staying in the rallies, trying to be more smart rather than playing amazing shots."
Japanese tennis player and Indian Wells debutant Moyuka Uchijima delivered a commanding performance to defeat former US Open champion Emma Raducanu with a score of 6-3, 6-2.
The victory earned Uchijima a second-round clash against world number three Coco Gauff.
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