Fonseca claims biggest career title in Basel; Bencic tames Noskova to lift Tokyo crown
- Last updated: October 27, 2025 | 09:31
Brazilian 19-year-old Joao Fonseca secured the biggest title of his career so far by downing Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the ATP 500 event in Basel on Sunday.
The teenager now has two Tour-level titles after adding Basel to his Buenos Aires crown from February.
In Switzerland, Fonseca became the third youngest player to win a 500 event since the series began in 1990.
He will break the top 30 in the rankings for the first time, moving from 46 to 28 in the world.
“It is crazy,” said Fonseca. “I want to thank my family and my coaches who helped me achieve this amazing effort.
“My parents just came from Brazil. They were coming to Paris and changed their flights and came here one hour before the match with my uncles. It is just amazing to have them here for the biggest title of my career.”
Fonseca will next switch his attention to the Paris Masters, which runs from October 27 to November 2.
In Switzerland, Fonseca broke Davidovich Fokina early in the first set and never looked back as he overwhelmed his 26-year-old opponent with his powerful serve and aggressive baseline hitting.
The Rio de Janeiro-native again broke early in the second set, before securing the trophy on his second match point after one hour and 26 minutes on court.
For Davidovich Fokina, the wait for his first title on the tour continues after his fifth defeat in a final — four of which have come this season.
Sinner beats Zverev in Vienna Open final: Italian top seed Jannik Sinner produced a spirited comeback to defeat Germany’s Alexander Zverev 3-6 6-3 7-5 in the Vienna Open final on Sunday, securing his fourth ATP Tour title of the season and his second triumph in Austria’s capital.
Sinner, who beat Zverev in straight sets at this year’s Australian Open, has now won 21 consecutive matches on indoor hardcourts. The 24-year-old has now also notched 22 tour-level titles and 51 career wins against fellow top-10 players.
The world number two banged down 11 aces and unleashed 44 winners in a thrilling contest that lasted two hours and 28 minutes.
“It feels amazing,” Sinner said. “It was such a difficult start in the final for me. Down a break ... I had some chances in the first set, couldn’t use them. He was serving very well.
“I tried to stick there mentally. Trying to play my best tennis when it counts. Third set was a bit of a roller-coaster. I was feeling very well the ball at times. I tried to push.
“Very happy to win another title. It’s very special.”
The win also allowed the four-times Grand Slam champion to level his head-to-head record against Zverev at four wins apiece.
Meanwhile, Belinda Bencic breezed past Czech sixth seed Linda Noskova 6-2 6-3 to win the Pan Pacific Open title on Sunday, erasing bitter memories of her straight-sets defeat by Agnieszka Radwanska in the title clash of the same tournament 10 years ago.
Victory earned Bencic her 10th WTA title overall and second of the year following her Abu Dhabi crown in February, returning her to the winners’ circle once again after a maternity break in 2023 saw her drop outside the top 1,000 at one stage.
“I feel like Tokyo and Japan is a happy place in my career, a place where I’ve had good success and I just love being here,” said Bencic, who won the Tokyo Olympics gold medal in 2021.
“I had a deja vu moment on court. I had match point on the same side of the court, went for the same serve and was telling myself the same things. I had goosebumps, it was really special. It’s great to win here again.”
Despite being dragged the distance in her last two matches at Tokyo’s Ariake Coliseum, the world number 13 showed no signs of fatigue in the opening exchanges and secured a break to go 4-2 up before wrapping up the opening set with another.
Bencic held in a six-deuce game to go 3-2 ahead in the second set and produced another battling display on serve later to go within two games of wrapping up a memorable victory.
With the finish line in sight, Bencic raised the intensity to grab the crucial break in the eighth game and closed out the win on serve in the next game, finishing with a superb drive volley and a neat forehand winner. “It was wonderful playing in front of you,” Bencic said.
For Noskova, it was a disappointing end to a fortuitous week. She reached the final after Elena Rybakina’s withdrawal due to injury, and earlier benefited from a walkover midway through her quarter-final with Anna Kalinskaya.
Agencies