Day 4 Match of the Day: Fonseca test

Now he is through to the second round in his second appearance here after a tricky opening match. Unsure whether he would be able to play at all due to a nagging wrist problem, he finally felt pain-free five days ago and beat Luka Pavlovic on Sunday. He wasn’t particularly happy with his level of play but he impressed himself with his fighting spirit.

“In the beginning, that you're a little bit more nervous, it's difficult,” he said. “But I think I just stayed mentally with my serve. I started the game with one level, and then I ended the game with another level, so that's a positive thing.” 

Young players, particularly ones under pressure can be impulsive at times but not Fonseca. He loves the clay and he loves the fact that he has to be patient on the surface. That the surface forces him to be patient.

“I think the game [on clay] is much more about patience,” he said, “because the opponent is going to put [back] more and more balls. It's easier to reach the ball. You can use more the topspin and go more to the back, put the balls. It's not just like hard court that you have one good shot, or grass, and that's it. So you need to be more patient, but I like playing on it. I think it's ideal to my game.”

Dino Prizmic will be the next test of his powers of perseverance. The 20-year-old Croatian, fresh from reaching the fourth round in Rome (his best result at a Masters 1000 event) and from beating Novak Djokovic along the way, cruised through his opening round, dropping only five games as he beat Michael Zheng from the United States.

Court Suzanne-Lenglen, third match

Jasmine Paolini (13) vs Solana Sierra

Slowly but surely, Paolini is getting back to where she wants to be. Two years ago, she scampered into the final here and then repeated the feat at Wimbledon a few weeks later. Thrust into the spotlight – and up the rankings – she has never reached such dizzy heights again.

“I think I put maybe a little bit of pressure at the beginning of the year on myself, but now I feel more relaxed,” she said. “I know that I have to find a good level of tennis, and I'm trying to do that.” Her achievements in 2024 are proof positive that she knows how to do it; now she just needs to find a way to do it again.

Court 6, third match

Hailey Baptiste (26) vs Wang Xiyu

Most players would love to have one shot they could rely upon, one key weapon that will dig them out of trouble no matter what. Baptiste’s problem is that she has so many of them that it is hard to pick which one to use and when. Still, it is a nice problem to have. “Sometimes I can't help myself but do something that's so stupid it's unbelievable,” she said with a laugh. “Sometimes, the crazy decision isn't the worst decision. I think that's a part of my game and what makes me difficult to play, just kind of doing some things that aren't expected.”

It brought her the Madrid WTA 1000 title a few weeks ago and it just about got her through her opening round against Barbora Krejcikova. Against Wang on Wednesday, she will keep on doing what comes naturally. Stand by for some spectacular shot-making.

Court 7, third match 

Rafael Jodar (27) v James Duckworth

If kids grow up fast these days, they have nothing on tennis players. This is Jodar’s first year on the ATP Tour (last year he was still at university in the US and trying his luck on the Challenger circuit) and yet already he is the world No.29. On the clay courts, he has been racking up the wins, taking the title in Marrakech, reaching the semifinals in Barcelona and the quarterfinals in Madrid and Rome.

Seeded No.27 here, he flew through his opening round against Aleksandar Kovacevic for the loss of only five games. At this rate, he will be unbeatable by the time he has finished growing up.