Birthday boy Fonseca advances to US Open qualifying final round

#NextGenATP Joao Fonseca celebrated his 18th birthday Wednesday in style. The Brazilian advanced to the final round of qualifying at the US Open, where he dropped just three points behind his first serve en route to a 6-4, 6-2 victory against Frenchman Calvin Hemery.

Last year's US Open boys' singles champion's birthday gift was the constant chants from the Court 8 crowd, “Jo-ao Fon-seca!”, “Jo-ao Fon-seca!”

Now one win away from competing in his maiden major main draw, Fonseca will face American Eliot Spizzirri in the third round. Spizzirri in May finished No. 1 in the ITA final singles rankings for the second consecutive year. The University of Texas graduate beat Belgian Joris De Loore 7-5, 7-6(5) to advance.

Fonseca, sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, won his first ATP Challenger Tour title this month in Lexington, Kentucky. He is aiming for his maiden trip to the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which runs from 18-22 December. 

Fellow #NextGenATP star Vilius Gaubas also advanced to the final round of qualifying. The Lithuanian defeated French veteran Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-4. After the match, there was an on-court presentation to honour Gasquet in his farewell US Open.

Gaubas, who is half the age of 38-year-old Gasquet, won 73 per cent of his first-serve points. This week is the first time that Gaubas has competed in Grand Slam qualifying. He earned his first ATP Challenger Tour title earlier this month in Cordenons, Italy and currently sits seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race to Jeddah.

Gaubas will next meet another player who is competing in his final US Open — Diego Schwartzman, former No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Schwartzman won 7-5, 6-4 in an all-Argentine battle against Thiago Agustin Tirante.

The 32-year-old Schwartzman announced earlier this year that he will retire after the Argentina Open in 2025. He is aiming for his 11th consecutive US Open main draw appearance. Schwartzman's best results at Flushing Meadows came in 2017 and 2019, when he reached the quarter-finals.

Last year's champion at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, Hamad Medjedovic, fought off Duje Ajdukovic 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-1.

#NextGenATP hopes Coleman Wong and Luca Van Assche suffered tight three-set defeats. Yu Hsiou Hsu survived Wong 1-6, 6-2, 7-6(8). Radu Albot overcame a second-set slump to down Van Assche 6-2, 0-6, 6-4. The 19-year-old American Nishesh Basavareddy was a 7-6(4), 7-6(2) winner against Alex Bolt.

Aslan Karatsev advanced with a convincing 6-3, 6-0 victory over Marc Polmans while Lucas Pouille ousted fellow Frenchman Harold Mayot 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(12). Maxime Cressy survived Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(10).