JAKARTA - World number two Jannik Sinner was forced to work extra hard against talented Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca to reach the 2026 Indian Wells quarterfinal.
Sinner, who has been ranked number one in the world, won in a tight two-set match that ended 7-6 (6) and 7-6 (4) at Court Stadium on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, local time, or Wednesday, March 11, 2026, Indonesian time.
"Joao is an amazing player, an amazing talent, very strong on both sides. He serves very well. I feel the key is to try as aggressively as possible," Sinner said after the match as reported by the ATP website.
The first meeting between Sinner and the 19-year-old tennis player managed to trigger a commotion in the audience. Fonseca was determined to keep up with Sinner throughout the first set which was tense because both of them had difficulty maximizing the break point opportunity.
Sinner was on the brink when an unusual error from him gave Fonseca a 6-3 lead in the tie-break. However, the Italian rebounded by scoring five consecutive points, including a crucial ace, to close the first set.
Sinner's dominance seemed to continue as he led 4-2 in the second set. However, Fonseca refused to give up and managed to break Sinner's serve in the ninth game to force a second tie-break.
Despite being 3-4 down, Sinner managed to come back and showed his maturity by sweeping the last four points through a deadly forehand return.
"My intensity decreased a little at the end of the second set, but he played an amazing tennis. The atmosphere was amazing so I'm very happy with today's match," said Sinner.
In the last eight, Sinner will face a challenge from the young American tennis player, Learner Tien. The 20-year-old reached his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal with a 4-6, 6-1, and 7-6(4) win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
In another match, Arthur Fils continued his positive trend upon his return from injury. The French tennis player managed to surprise the ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime with a score of 6-3 and 7-6(9).
Fils will next challenge world number four Alexander Zverev, who knocked out Frances Tiafoe in a two-set match 6-3 and 6-4.
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