João Fonseca reaches first ATP 500 semifinal and will be top 40

This was the first match between the two on the circuit. Shapovalov, 26, reached his best ranking – 10th position – in September 2020. He has won two titles this season: Los Cabos (MEX) and Dallas (USA). With the victory in the Basel quarterfinals, João Fonseca reaches 1,315 points in the world rankings, temporarily standing in 39th place. He can only be surpassed by American Reilly Opelka, who plays in the Swiss tournament quarterfinals later on Friday. This will be the Brazilian’s first semifinal in an ATP 500 tournament. Last year, at the Rio Open, he was stopped in the quarterfinals after losing to Argentine Mariano Navone in a comeback. A dominant João started the match by breaking the Canadian’s serve. However, Shapovalov quickly broke back after a Brazilian’s unforced error, leading 2-1. João struggled with his serve, allowing the opponent to maintain control at 3-1. Serving next, the Canadian extended his lead to 4-1. João hit his first ace in the game in the sixth game, reducing the set deficit to 4-2. At 5-2, the Canadian had the lead, but João confirmed with a drop shot by the net, making it 5-3. With his service, Shapovalov closed the first set 6-3. In the second set, João saved three break points to hold his serve with five consecutive points. Shapovalov hit the net in the fourth game, allowing the Brazilian another break and a 3-1 lead. Despite difficulties after 0-30, João maintained his serve to go up 4-1. Trailing 4-2, the Canadian finally managed to break João’s serve in the seventh game, narrowing the gap to 4-3. However, with a crosscourt passing shot, the Brazilian broke back, maintaining his lead at 5-3, closing the set 6-3.