Photo credit: Jon Buckle/ROLEX
Wimbledon—Surround sound swarmed American men in round two.
Exhorted by festive fans on their respective courts both Brazilian Joao Fonseca and Briton Cameron Norrie pulled the plug on talented American opponents at Wimbledon today.
Firing heavy forehands, Fonseca fought off Eastbourne finalist Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 turning No. 12 Court into a concert hall feel with Brazilian fans, many clad in iconic yellow soccer jerseys, chanting his name throughout.
On No. 1 Court the left-handed Norrie played with precision thwarting Frances Tiafoe’s explosive power in a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 triumph.
Norrie is the sixth British man in Open Era history to reach the Wimbledon third round four times, while denying Tiafoe’s bid to reach the third round for a fifth consecutive year and sixth time overall.
The 29-year-old Norrie converted five of 13 break-point chances with an unsettling mix of loopier topspin forehands with flatter backhand drives.
Tiafoe played a good match belting 20 aces against three double faults, but Norrie played pivotal points with more care. Afterward, Tiafoe said the vocal crowd didn't faze him but did fire up Norrie.
"[The crowd] didn't bother me. I mean, he was super amped," Tiafoe said. "He was saying, C'mon, from the first game, which is definitely annoying, but that part bothered me more than the crowd.
"But, no, I mean, I think the biggest thing is that he kept going and playing much better because of the crowd. I don't think he probably plays as well if the crowd wasn't so far behind him.
"I mean, they really pushed him, and he started believing it."
Lifting his level in the fourth set, Norrie served 82 percent in that set and repeatedly rapped returns down the line. Norrie won 17 of 24 points played on Tiafoe’s second serve and broke twice in that fourth set to post his first Top 20 win at The Championships.
“I played an unreal match. All around complete," Norrie said. "Serving well, moving well, solving the dropshot really well, which in the past I haven't done that well. Hitting the slice well. Coming forward well. Being clinical.
"I think it was a very good performance from me. Then mentally, as well. I was very stable throughout the whole match. I think if you spoke to Frances, as well, he would probably say the same. It was a very high-level match.
"He was playing so well. I never really flinched, just kept doing what I was doing, made the match on my terms. Yeah, I can take a lot of confidence from that, another match under my belt here, another win."
Six American men were seeded in this Wimbledon draw—most of any nation—and now Tiafoe joins 30th-seeded compatriot Alex Michelsen in falling from the field.
"Grass is a tricky surface. The game is getting much deeper," Tiafoe said. "You have to think, not so long ago Cam made the semifinals here, and now I'm playing him the second round.
"You have floaters like that, and then you have some young guys playing well. The game is just really tough.
"It's not like how it used to be where you can kind of, I mean, quote, unquote, get to your seedings easier. Now a lot of guys you don't even know come out and play, and by the time you know it you find yourself battling deep in the fourth and fifth [set]."
This victory vaults Norrie into a third-round meeting vs. either 23rd-seeded Czech Jiri Lehecka or Italian Mattia Bellucci.
The 18-year-old Fonseca, the youngest man in the Wimbledon singles draw, gave vocal Brazilian fans much to cheer about. Fonseca fired 51 winners—17 more than Brooksby—and sometimes played his slice backhand down the line to the American’s forehand to open up his crackling forehand down the opposite sideline.
Though he’s only played six career matches on grass, Fonseca’s ability to blow open points with a single strike—particularly that fiery forehand down the line—makes him an explosive threat on lawn.
The dynamic Fonseca is the first Brazilian man to reach the Wimbledon third round in 15 years—left-hander Thomaz Bellucci was the last Brazilian to do it back in 2010. Fonseca, who knocked off Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open in January, is the youngest man to reach the Wimbledon third round since Bernard Tomic back in 2011.
"I think it's a thing to be proud of myself, for sure. It's a great achievement," Fonseca said. "I'm very proud of myself, the way that I played today also.
"So yeah, it's just an opportunity to be here, to play this amazing tournament. Now being in the third round is just amazing. So very happy the way that I'm developed in this surface, I'm evolving. So happy with it."
Chanting Brazilian fans were so exuberant you could clearly hear their sing-song “Fonseca! Fonseca! Fonseca!” chorus on nearby No. 2 court as Madison Keys was playing Olga Danilovic.
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Sporting white adhesive taping on his fingers like Rafa Nadal used to wear, Fonseca played fearless tennis at times today against a tricky opponent.
The quirky Brooksby isn’t afraid to take pace off and slow ball big hitters like Fonseca, but when he drew the mid-court ball the American would often crack his two hander and follow it forward. When Brooksby hit a running forehand winner he danced behind the baseline like a boxer ready to burst out of his corner.
Leading 3-2 30-all in the third set, Fonseca fired an ace down the T then a serve winner holding for 4-2.
One hour, 57-minutes into the match, Fonseca turned his hips and shoulders into a jolting forehand strike, drawing a netted reply to break for 5-2.
At one point, Brooksby’s misdirection on a volley left Fonseca falling to the court as his white baseball cap fell off. Showing touch of his own, Fonseca flipped a drop shot inducing an errant pass for set point. Whipping the wide serve to set up a forehand winner, Fonseca snatched the third set with a clenched fist to his box.
Fonseca was up a break at 4-3 only to see Brooksby break back and level the set. A biting backhand return down the line helped Fonseca break again for 5-4.
There were growing pains as well.
Serving for the third round, Fonseca double faulted to face triple break point. Then, the teen climbed out of a triple break point hole as Brooksby fell down hitting a forehand on the third break point.
A stroke of luck helped Fonseca finish as his forehand drive crashed into the tape and crawled over for match point. Brookby’s final return sailed as Fonseca covered his face with his baseball cap and roared in a primal scream of success.
Next up for Fonseca is 6’7” Chilean Nicolas Jarry, who has knocked off eighth-seeded Holger Rune and American Learner Tien in succession reaching the third round for the second time in three years.
That all-South American clash could get even louder than Fonseca's victory today.
"I know Chile fans, they're loud also. Yeah, the Brazilians are loud," Fonseca said. "It's going to be nice. Nico is a nice person and also a nice player. He has a very good serve. He's playing good on grass. I mean, just going to be a new experience, very nice.
"Actually I'm third round, so I'm just going to enjoy, play my best tennis, and hopefully I can go to the fourth round."