#NextGenATP star Joao Fonseca will look to keep his perfect record at the ATP Challenger Tour level alive this week at the Millennium Estoril Open. The 18-year-old, unbeaten in his two Challenger appearances this season, enters Estoril as the eighth seed in a packed top half of the draw.
Fonseca is placed in the same section as top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, fourth seed Marcos Giron, seventh seed Nicolas Jarry, and fellow #NextGenATP player Learner Tien. In the first round, Fonseca will face Jesper de Jong and is positioned in Giron’s quarter.
The Brazilian has compiled an impressive 23-6 record across all levels this year. He arrives in Portugal after a second-round loss at the Madrid Open, where he was defeated by 11th seed Tommy Paul.
Fonseca’s Challenger season has been dominant. He won the Canberra Challenger to start the year and captured the Arizona Tennis Classic title last month, one of the six prestigious 175-level events. In Phoenix, he beat Alexander Bublik in the final, improving his 2025 Challenger record to 10-0.
Meanwhile, wild card Felix Auger-Aliassime, ranked No. 27 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, has a first-round bye. He will meet either American Ethan Quinn or Serbian Dusan Lajovic in the second round. Other threats in his quarter include seventh seed Jarry and 19-year-old Tien.
Second seed Alex Michelsen leads the bottom half of the Estoril draw. Other seeded players in that half include Nuno Borges, Miomir Kecmanovic, and Pedro Martinez.
Popyrin Leads at Aix-en-Provence
At the Open Aix Provence Crédit Agricole, top seed Alexei Popyrin could face former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka in his opening match. Popyrin has a first-round bye, while Wawrinka plays Frenchman Ugo Blanchet.
#NextGenATP American Nishesh Basavareddy and Italy’s Mattia Bellucci are also in Popyrin’s quarter. Last year’s finalist Jaume Munar is seeded to meet Popyrin in the semifinals.
The bottom half of the Aix-en-Provence draw features second seed Luciano Darderi, third seed Quentin Halys, and former World No. 12 Borna Coric. Coric, alongside Emilio Nava, is one of only two players to win three Challenger titles this season.
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