Teenage rising star Joao Fonseca said nerves got the better of him after being bundled out of the Australian Open by Italian Lorenzo Sonego in a five-set thriller on Thursday.

Endless queues outside Melbourne Park's 1573 Arena on a sunny Thursday afternoon gave casual fans the impression that a Grand Slam champion was in action, but a quick peek inside revealed the carnival atmosphere and explained the interest.

Fonseca has long looked like a star-in-waiting. Under pressure in his first Grand Slam set, he delivered beyond those lofty expectations

Joao Fonseca definitively introduced himself to the world as the latest teen sensation in men’s tennis, upsetting No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev in the first round of the Australian Open.

Fonseca was part of the 2024 lineup alongside Fils and Luca Van Assche of France; Michelsen, eventual finalist Learner Tien and Nishesh Basavareddy of the U.S.; Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic and Shang Juncheng of China, who also goes by his Americanized name, Jerry Shang.

Italy's Lorenzo Sonego beat Brazilian Joao Fonseca, widely considered the rising star of international tennis, 6-7 6-3 6-1 3-6 6-3 on Thursday to reach the third round of the Australian Open. Lorenzo Musetti is also in the third round after beating Canadian Denis Shapovalov 7-6,