João Fonseca is the first Brazilian in the final of an ATP 500 in singles

The victory of João Fonseca over Jaume Munar in the semifinals of the ATP 500 Basel today broke a record for Brazilian tennis.

Fonseca has become the first Brazilian to reach a final of an ATP 500 in singles. He will face the winner of Ugo Hambert vs. Alejandro Davidovich in the final, who are playing later today.

The 19-year-old tennis player surpassed Thomaz Bellucci’s achievement, who reached the semifinals of the 2011 Acapulco ATP — Bellucci lost to Nicolás Almagro, who ended up as the runner-up to David Ferrer days later.

The ATP 500 was created in 2009 and is ranked just below a Grand Slam and Masters 1000 tournaments in the tennis calendar. Winning a tournament of this type guarantees 500 points in the rankings.

For example, Guga stacked titles (including three Grand Slams) but did not win the tournament currently being played by Fonseca. The Brazilian retired from the courts in 2008.