Joao Fonseca Stuns in Monte Carlo Debut: "I Was Born on Clay"

Joao Fonseca did not disappoint in his highly anticipated first-round match against Gabriel Diallo at the Monte-Carlo Masters. Fonseca took down Diallo in straight sets: 6-2, 6-3.

Fonseca tallied two aces and zero double faults. He won points on 63% of his first and second serves. Plus, he broke Diallo in 5/8 opportunities. Meanwhile, Diallo only had one serve with four double faults. He won points on just 53% and 50% of his first two serves, respectively. Diallo broke Fonseca in 1/4 tries.

Speaking on the Tennis Channel after the match, Fonseca said, "Yeah, Gabe is a big friend of mine and he is actually a great server and it was difficult to return in the first half, but after I got a little bit and I felt really good in the court today."

He added, "Well, it was my first time here, and I felt it's a clay court, but it's also a little bit fast, the bounce is high. So, it's good to play. I think the conditions are good for me, and hopefully I can play like this for the rest of the tournament."

During his post-match press conference, Fonseca praised the city and expressed his love of clay. "I was born on clay," said the Brazilian star.

"I needed patience, but I felt like I could hit very hard and win every point, but sometimes it went was a winner. Sometimes was directly to the fence, but I kind of understood that I need to work on the point and be patient. So yeah, clay gave me this and it's different from hard, but I'm feeling great in court."

Fonseca is the ATP World No. 40 with a singles record of 6-5. Of course, two of those losses came at the hands of the top two players in the world. Much has been made about Fonseca's first meetings with Carlos Alcaraz (Indian Wells) and Jannik Sinner (Miami Open). Some even suspect that he could one day be the third wheel at their party.

Fonseca will face Arthur Rinderknech in the second round on Wednesday, April 8. Rinderknech upset the 12-seed Karen Khachanov earlier today. However, the Frenchman will not be an easy opponent for Fonseca. The two players have never faced off before on the ATP Tour.

The Monte-Carlo Masters runs from April 5-12. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.