Fonseca presents his candidacy for the title in Montreal

Joao Fonseca has excelled in tennis to achieve a brilliant victory against Casper Ruud at the ATP Montreal 2026 and present his candidacy for the title. The Brazilian tennis player has made it to the round of 16 after defeating the Norwegian with a score of 7-6(6) 6-3, and in the next round, he will face Ben Shelton to continue his great performance. 

Just like what happened at Roland Garros a few weeks ago, Fonseca was superior to Ruud in a high-level match filled with great points, where the tie break of the first set was crucial for the outcome of the match. After losing a closely contested first set, Casper lost ground, and Joao did not miss, relying on his forehand and demonstrating once again that his confidence is sky-high at the moment. Additionally, this marks his first round of 16 in Canada. 

The year of definitive learning for Fonseca

Despite the good results he is achieving in 2026, the expectations for Fonseca are so high that he is still being asked for more. In the next round, he will face the reigning champion of the tournament, so a victory would position him as one of the main favorites to lift the title. This year, he has already faced rivals of the caliber of Shelton himself, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Jannik Sinner, or Carlos Alcaraz, and this has allowed him to gain experience and confidence to continue evolving.

As he himself has acknowledged, 2026 has been the year of definitive learning for him, so now it only remains to slowly reap the rewards and patiently wait for a big result, something that seems inevitable considering his talent. Performances like last night's are a clear indication that it is just around the corner.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Fonseca presenta su candidatura al título en Montreal