Jack Draper swept aside Joao Fonseca to advance to the fourth round of Roland Garros. The world No. 5 showed no mercy against the 18-year-old star, eliminating him in straight sets with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 victory. Pre-match, it looked like it would be a close encounter, despite their previous history with Draper easily defeating the Brazilian in Indian Wells.
Despite conditions favorable for Fonseca on slow courts, he couldn't do anything against an impeccable Draper. The Brit reaches 25 wins this season (a 25-6 record) and for the third consecutive time, he's made it to the second week of a Grand Slam. His next challenge will be against the winner between Alexander Bublik and the Portuguese surprise Henrique Rocha.
First Set
The match began with high expectations, as Draper was the first to secure a break in the third game, while demonstrating extremely high effectiveness on serve. The Brit dominated long rallies, avoiding his opponent's forehand and keeping most points short.
When the European led 4-2, an erratic service game from the Brazilian resulted in Draper getting a second break. The world No. 5 didn't hesitate on his serve and closed the set 6-2, winning an incredible 90% of points on his first serve against only 59% for Fonseca. Additionally, the Brit excelled with 58% on his second serve compared to just 17% for Fonseca, who suffered excessively when not serving his first ball.
Second Set
Things seemed to balance out in the second set, with a more focused Fonseca finding solutions to second serves. On the other hand, Draper maintained consistency from the baseline, and for the first half of the set, neither managed to gain an advantage.
When the score was 3-3, Fonseca squandered a 40-15 lead while serving, and after conceding several opportunities, Draper eventually secured the break to take the lead. The European was serving at 5-4 and faced his first break points, but he managed to save them with good service games and extended his lead on his first set point, taking it 6-4. This time, Draper appeared more aggressive, going from 8 winners in the first set to 14 in the second – 6 of them from aces.
Third Set
The fight the Brazilian had put up in the second set, unfortunately, he couldn't maintain in the third. An erratic start from his side resulted in two consecutive breaks for the 23-year-old star. Draper, true to the conviction and consistency that has characterized him in recent months, didn't get complacent and maintained his serving level, taking a 4-0 lead.
With the score 4-1 in favor of Draper, Joao Fonseca called for a medical time-out, apparently due to issues with his right shoulder. However, after a few minutes, they returned to the court, and with no major changes, Draper held onto his serve to seal the victory with a convincing 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 score that sends him to the fourth round of Roland Garros. His next opponent will be the winner between qualifier Henrique Rocha or Alexander Bublik.
Match Statistics Fonseca vs. Draper
| Fonseca | VS | Draper |
|---|---|---|
| Service | ||
| 6 | Aces | 7 |
| 0 | Double Faults | 4 |
| 70% (59/84) | 1st Service Percentage | 57% (37/65) |
| 63% (37/59) | 1st Service Points Won | 92% (34/37) |
| 36% (9/25) | 2nd Service Points Won | 61% (17/28) |
| 55% (6/11) | Break Points Saved | 100% (2/2) |
| 62% (8/13) | Service Games | 100% (12/12) |
| Return | ||
| 8% (3/37) | 1st Return Points Won | 37% (22/59) |
| 39% (11/28) | 2nd Return Points Won | 64% (16/25) |
| - | Break Points Saved | - |
| Other | ||
| 1h 46m | Match Duration | 1h 46m |
