First Time Seed, Fonseca Loses in Debut in Brussels

In the round of 16, Van de Zandschulp will face American Eliot Spizzirri (23 years old, #111), who went through qualifying and debuted in the main draw with a victory over Spaniard Pedro Martinez (#89) by 6/4 and 6/1. Fonseca’s year-end goal becomes more challenging. The next step for Fonseca will be the ATP 500 in Basel, Switzerland. His personal goal is to be among the top 32 in the rankings by January 12. This position would make him a seed at the Australian Open, the first slam of 2026. To achieve this, he will need to earn at least 500 points by then. Fonseca’s schedule includes the Basel event, the Paris Masters 1000, and the Athens ATP 250. If he fails to earn the desired points, he may play in an ATP event before the Australian Open and one or more Challenger tournaments. Turns in both sets. Fonseca had the first break point opportunity, capitalizing on a couple of unforced errors from the Dutch player. A long right shot error from Van de Zandschulp gave Fonseca the game. Fonseca led 4/2 after confirming his service shortly. He had another break point to go 5/2 up, but missed a right shot and allowed the European to hold. Following that, Fonseca made consecutive errors with Van de Zandschulp converting three break chances, reversing the game’s dynamics. Pressured in the 12th game, João saved five set points, defending efficiently. However, he conceded a sixth set point with a drop shot error, and the subsequent winning return from the European closed the set at 7/5. The second set began evenly, but Van de Zandschulp’s stronger serving since the latter part of the first set limited Fonseca’s chances. Fonseca broke in the seventh game when the European served poorly, leading 4/3. Fonseca had another chance to break his opponent, but lost a set point due to an unlucky bounce off the net. Van de Zandschulp seized the opportunity, breaking Fonseca in the tenth game to level at 5/5. The match went to a tie-break, with the European taking an early lead with a mini-break. Fonseca struggled to recover as Van de Zandschulp built a 5-0 lead with impressive plays, eventually securing the win.