Joao Fonseca is on the brink of making history at the Arizona Tennis Classic. If he wins Sunday’s final, he will become the second-youngest South American player—behind Juan Martin del Potro—to claim three ATP Challenger Tour titles.
The 18-year-old will face Alexander Bublik in the Phoenix Challenger 175 final, scheduled for 2 p.m. local time. Fans can watch the match live and on demand for free on Challenger TV.
Currently ranked No. 69 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, Fonseca will achieve a new career-high ranking if he secures the title. The young Brazilian has been in top form this season. After winning the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah, he captured his first title of the year at the Canberra Challenger. His momentum continued last month with his first ATP Tour-level title at the Buenos Aires ATP 250. A victory in Phoenix would make him the first player to win an ATP 250, a Challenger 175, and a Challenger 125 title in the same season.
If he triumphs, Fonseca will join Del Potro and Guillermo Coria as the only South American players to win three Challenger titles before turning 19. He would also become the fifth-youngest player to claim multiple Challenger titles in a single season since 2018, joining Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Holger Rune.
Bublik, however, presents a tough challenge. The Kazakh player holds an unbeaten 6-0 record in Challenger finals. A win on Sunday would make him only the fourth player in Challenger history to win his first seven finals without a loss.
Both players delivered impressive performances in Saturday’s semi-finals. Fonseca defeated former world No. 4 Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-3, while Bublik ended Nuno Borges’ hopes of a third consecutive Phoenix title with a 6-3, 6-4 victory.
With history on the line, Sunday’s final promises an exciting battle between a rising star and an experienced contender.
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