Fonseca/Melo save 1 match point in Rio de Janeiro SF
Joao Fonseca erased singles heartbreak with a thrilling doubles win on Saturday at the Rio Open presented by Claro, where he teamed with fellow Brazilian Marcelo Melo to outlast Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner 6-2, 2-6, 13-11 and reach the championship match.
The Brazilians rallied from a 2-5 deficit and saved a match point at 8/9 in the Match Tie-break before edging the Schnaitter and Wallner in one hour and 29 minutes. In their maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with the Germans, they won 70 per cent (45/57) of their first-serve points and saved two of the four break points they saved, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Fonseca lost to Ignacio Buse in the second round in singles but returned to the court two days later to reach his maiden tour-level final in doubles. Melo, 23 years Fonseca’s senior, advanced to his 79th tour-level final and will aim to clinch his 41st title on Sunday. The Brazilian veteran claimed the Rio de Janeiro trophy in 2025 alongside countryman Rafael Matos.
The home favourites will face Constantin Frantzen/Robin Haase in the final. Frantzen and Haase upset third seeds Guido Andreozzi and Manuel Guinard 7-6(15), 2-6, 10-8 to reach the final.
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