Fonseca cried on court
He had not played for more than a month. An abdominal injury picked up in Cincinnati, the US Open missed, the comeback pushed back again and again. Joao Fonseca knew he was not coming back at full strength.
He played anyway. And he won.
The Brazilian came from a set down to beat Dominic Stricker 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Friday night in Rio de Janeiro, the opening singles rubber of the Davis Cup tie between Brazil and Switzerland. First Davis Cup match on home soil, in front of his own crowd. By the end he was in tears on court.
“I told Jaime before the start of the Davis Cup that I would not be at 100%, but that I would do my best to be on court,” Fonseca said. “It was a really important win, not just for the team, but also very important for me.” Jaime Oncins, his captain, had been warned.
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Four-one up in the breaker, and gone
Second singles. Stan Wawrinka, 41, in what should be the last Davis Cup tie of a career he plans to end this season. Gustavo Heide on the other side of the net.
The Swiss took the first set. He led 4-1 in the second-set tiebreak. Switzerland sat a handful of points from 1-1.
Heide won six straight points. Tiebreak flipped, set gone, and with it whatever Wawrinka had been holding. The Brazilian closed it out 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 after two hours and 25 minutes. A match Wawrinka had in his hands got away from him.
Saturday’s doubles or the end
Switzerland is up against it now. Jakub Paul and Dominic Stricker have to beat Rafael Matos and Orlando Luz on Saturday, or Brazil books the Final 8 in Bologna, running November 24 to 29.
Take the doubles and a Fonseca-Wawrinka meeting opens up in the fourth rubber. The 20-year-old against the 41-year-old. The three-time Grand Slam winner is already turning it over.
“I hope we have a match tomorrow,” Wawrinka said. “That would mean we won the doubles.”
It rests on two players he cannot help from the bench.
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