Tough start for Fonseca: The Brazilian falls in his Toronto debut

João Fonseca couldn’t meet expectations in his opening match at the Toronto Masters 1000, falling in straight sets to Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate (7-6 [5], 6-4).

Despite being the favorite on paper, the 18-year-old Brazilian struggled to make an impact against the world No. 103. He was unable to earn a single break point and found himself outmatched by Schoolkate’s dominant first serve, with the Australian winning 89% of points behind it.

It was Fonseca’s first appearance in Toronto and his first taste of the North American hard-court swing at the Masters 1000 level. This early exit is a reminder of the steep learning curve that comes with transitioning to the main tour. At just 18, Fonseca is still discovering the demands of the highest level, and nights like this are part of the process.

For Schoolkate, this victory marks a milestone – his first win over a top 50 opponent. He’ll face Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi (No. 41) in the next round with confidence and momentum.

Toronto Masters 1000, other first-round results (Aviva Centre, hard, USD 9.193.540, most recent results first):

• Arthur Rinderknech vs. Alexis Galarneau
• Corentin Moutet vs. Jenson Brooksby
• Liam Draxl vs. Pablo Carreno Busta
• Fabian Marozsan vs. Hugo Dellien
• Borna Coric vs. Matteo Gigante

• Roberto Carballes Baena vs. Camilo Ugo Carabelli
• Tristan Boyer vs. Aleksandar Kovacevic: monday
• Marcos Giron vs. Adrian Mannarino: monday
• Francisco Comesana vs. Damir Dzumhur: monday
• Yosuke Watanuki (Q) beat Daniel Altmaier: 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
• Aleksandar Vukic beat Pedro Martinez Portero: 7-5, 6-3
• Hugo Gaston beat Mattia Bellucci: 3-6, 6-4, 2-0 ret.
• Dalibor Svrcina (LL) beat Alexander Blockx (Q): 6-4, 6-2
• Jaume Munar beat Dan Martin (Q): 6-3, 6-0
• Mackenzie McDonald beat David Goffin: 6-4, 6-4
• Yunchaokete Bu beat Vit Kopriva: 7-6 (4), 6-2
• Ethan Quinn beat Yoshihito Nishioka: 7-6 (1), 6-2
• Christopher O’Connell beat Chun-Hsin Tseng (LL): 6-1, 6-2
• James Duckworth (Q) beat Juncheng Shang: 6-3, 7-6 (3)
• Miomir Kecmanovic beat Quentin Halys: 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
• Facundo Bagnis (Q) beat Vasek Pospisil (WC): 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
• Emilio Nava (Q) beat Zizou Bergs: 6-1, 7-6 (4)
• Nicolas Arseneault (WC) beat Valentin Royer: 6-3, 7-6 (4)
• Roman Safiullin beat Ugo Blanchet (Q): 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (9)
• Juan Pablo Ficovich (Q) beat Jacob Fearnley: 6-2, 6-3
• Tomas Martin Etcheverry beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert (Q): 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
• Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard beat Shintaro Mochizuki (Q): 6-4, 6-2
• Tomas Barrios Vera (Q) beat Gael Monfils: 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (3)
• Learner Tien beat Colton Smith (Q): 6-4, 7-5
• Reilly Opelka beat Sebastian Ofner: 7-6 (6), 7-5
• Adam Walton beat Benjamin Bonzi: 4-6, 6-0, 6-3