Jack Draper has shared his thoughts on Joao Fonseca’s potential after cruising past the teenage wildcard in Indian Wells. Their second-round match was a highly-anticipated affair but it quickly became one-sided as the Brit won the last nine games in a row, sealing a 6-4 6-0 victory over the rising star.
Fonseca has been enjoying a breakthrough season and won his first ATP Tour title last month. Aged just 18, he’s been touted as a future champion. And Draper has bought into the hype, suggesting the Brazilian would become a “top, top player”.
As one of the seeded players, Draper received a bye directly into round two in Indian Wells. But he still ended up with a brutal draw, meeting recent Argentina Open champion Fonseca.
The teenager received a wildcard into the main draw and beat another Brit, Jacob Fearnley, in his opening match. The Court 4 stands were packed full of Brazilian fans who cheered their man on until the end.
But Draper silenced them, winning the last nine games in a row to book his spot in the third round and end Fonseca’s run. In spite of the one-sided scoreline, the world No. 14 was impressed with what he saw from the teen.
“I think it’s amazing for the tour and amazing for tennis that we’ve got a really, really young superstar coming, especially from Brazil with such a big fanbase,” the British No. 1 told Sky Sports.
“It seems like every tournament’s he’s going to, there’s so many fans in the stadium here today. To be a part of that and to play against him, see what he’s all about is really special for myself.”
Although he bagelled Fonseca in set two, Draper could see plenty of potential in the world No. 80’s game. He continued: “And I saw it, he’s such an amazing talent, hits the ball so hard and he’s only going to improve.
“It’s just more experience at this level and he’s going to be a top, top player very soon.”
While the second set appeared straightforward for the British No. 1, he did have a wobble trying to serve for the match, hitting three consecutive double faults. But Draper still got the job done and later explained his serving issues.
“I kind of struggled last year a lot on my serve here,” he added. “The conditions are very different, I think the balls are a bit different so it’s hard sometimes for the balls to come down, it flies a lot and it’s something, like I said, I struggled with last year.
“This year I’ve been trying to get better. I definitely served better today but there’s still a lot of room for improvement so I’m glad I came through today because then I can go and work hard on that.
“So I would say that’s the only side of my game I wasn’t too happy with today was my serve. It’s just getting my rhythm right.”
Draper will now turn his attention to his next match against Jenson Brooksby, who upset 17th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on Saturday.
