João Fonseca came from a set down to mark his first Davis Cup match on home soil with a win. On Friday, September 18, the Brazilian defeated Dominic Stricker 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 59 minutes, securing the opening point against Switzerland in their World Group I tie.
The match took place on an indoor hard court at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. It was also the world No. 29’s return to competition after an abdominal problem interrupted his Cincinnati campaign and kept him out of the US Open, as reported by TenisBrasil.
Strong finishes turn the match around
Stricker won the final three games of the opening set to take it 6-4. Fonseca answered in the second, producing his own three-game run from 3-3 to level the match at one set apiece.
The deciding set stayed level until 2-2. Fonseca then broke the Swiss player’s serve, consolidated his lead and continued through to 6-2. Four straight games completed the comeback and gave the home crowd a victory to celebrate.
The result was Fonseca’s fifth win in seven Davis Cup matches, according to TenisBrasil’s record of his appearances. Highlights from the official World Tennis channel capture the Brazilian’s recovery against Stricker.
A place in the 2027 Qualifiers is at stake
Brazil and Switzerland are playing a best-of-five-match tie, with the winner advancing to the 2027 Qualifiers. Under the schedule announced by the Brazilian Tennis Confederation, play resumes on Saturday, September 19, at 2 p.m. Brasília time with Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos facing Jakub Paul and Stricker in doubles.
The reverse singles scheduled to follow are Fonseca against Stan Wawrinka and Gustavo Heide against Stricker. The final line-ups and whether all remaining matches are played depend on how the tie develops.
