Carlos Alcaraz, Ben Shelton and other players congratulate Joao Fonseca as Brazilian wins maiden title in Buenos Aires

18-year-old Joao Fonseca continued to make giant strides in men's tennis as the Brazilian won his maiden career title in Buenos Aires. Several players including Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton showed their appreciation for the teenager through congratulatory messages on social media.

Fonseca had started off to make headways on the Challenger Tour making his mark. The young Brazilian event put in some decent performances for his country at the 2024 Davis Cup.

The 18-year-old had a fast start to 2025, adding another Challenger Tour title to his tally, before making his Major debut at the Australian Open. After a dominant showing in the qualifiers. the Brazilian took the tennis world by storm by winning against ninth-seeded Andrey Rublev in straight sets.

After getting a main-draw opportunity at the Argentina Open, Fonseca went on a hot streak of performances, winning against four Argentine players en route to his maiden career title. He showed excellent composure throughout the event, as he won from being match points down against Mariano Navone in the quarterfinal, and then held his nerve to win the final against Francisco Cerundolo after squandering the opportunity to serve out the match.

The win did not go unnoticed on the ATP Tour, as World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz congratulated the new World No. 68 on his maiden victory on X.

"Impressive Joao!..Many congrats!!!" posted Alcaraz on X (Formerly Twitter)

World No. 13 Ben Shelton also joined in and congratulated Fonseca. The American player gave a two-word reaction to the Brazilian's Instagram post.

"Too good" commented Shelton.

Ben Shelton and others congratulate Joao Fonseca after Brazilian wins in Buenos Aires, (Source:Instagram)

Other players such as former Top-10 player Fabio Fognini and Fonseca's Davis Cup teammate Thiago Monteiro also congratulated the 18-year-old.

"Congratulations Joao" said Fognini

"Phenomenon and Genius..its just beginning" said Monteiro

Fonseca's stroke-making, athletic prowess and ability to stay composed under pressure drew praise from spectators and pundits alike.

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Joao Fonseca replaces Pete Sampras on the list of youngest winners on the ATP Tour

Joao Fonseca at the Australian Open (Getty)

With his maiden title in Buenos Aires, Joao Fonseca replaced Pete Sampras as the tenth youngest winner on the ATP Tour. The Brazilian's victory at 18 years, five months, and 26 days trumped the American legend's feat of winning his maiden title in Philadelphia in 1990.

Fonseca also became a trailblazer in South American tennis as he became the second youngest player from that containment to win a maiden title after Guillermo Perez-Roldan's victory at the same event back in 1987. The list of youngest players is topped by Lleyton Hewitt, who won his maiden title at 16 in Adelaide in 1998.

Fonseca is next scheduled to play in the Rio Open, which is an ATP 500 event. The 18-year-old is slated to face Alexandre Muller in the first round.