Ignacio Buse upsets Joao Fonseca in Rio de Janeiro | ATP Tour

Rio de Janeiro

Bus upsets Fonseca in Rio de Janeiro

Berrettini, Etcheverry, Faria advance on the ATP 500

February 20, 2026

Ignacio Buse spoiled Joao Fonseca‘s pursuit of residence glory on the Rio Open offered by Claro on Thursday when he upset the Brazilian 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in the second spherical.

Despite dropping the primary set in the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Headvert assembly, Buse ultimately capitalized on Fonseca’s 43 unforced errors to triumph in a two-hour, 26-minute battle. With the victory, he grew to become the primary Peruvian to achieve an ATP 500 quarter-final because the sequence was launched in 2009.

“Today was a really difficult match,” Buse stated. “We all know the potential that Joao has. We are really close friends. So that was also hard today.”

One yr in the past, Buse was No. 230 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Now the 21-year-old is at a career-high No. 91 and on the rise.

“I tried to deal with the pressure the best that I can,” Buse stated. “I did it well today. And next time if I do it bad, I will learn and try to do it better.”

In a match delayed by an hour because of rain, Buse stored his composure below strain. He crucially saved eight of the 9 break factors he confronted, together with three in the opening sport of the second set and three at 4-3 in the third set, in line with Infosys ATP Stats. The Peruvian fired his eighth ace to finish the upset and advance to the largest quarter-final of his profession, in which he’ll face Matteo Berrettini.

Berrettini additionally earned a hard-fought three-set win in the second spherical, defeating Dusan Lajovic 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in two hours and 9 minutes. With the win, the Italian reached his first tour-level quarter-final on clay since claiming his final title in Kitzbuhel in 2024.

In different motion, eighth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry superior to the final eight with a 7-6(1), 6-4 win over Lithuanian qualifier Vilius Gaubaswho was aiming to achieve his first tour-level quarter-final.

Etcheverry was compelled to navigate late drama in the second set when he missed a match level on Gaubas’ serve whereas main 5-2. The Argentine then stepped as much as serve for the match, however rain suspended play earlier than he might sign the win. Upon returning to the court docket, he was damaged, however instantly responded by breaking Gaubas again to triumph.

With his two-hour, seven-minute victory, the Argentine is as much as No. 44 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, securing a return to the Top 50 for the primary time since April final yr. Etcheverry will subsequent meet fortunate loser Jaime Faria.

The Portuguese participant, who defeated two-time defending champion Sebastian Baez in the primary spherical for the largest win of profession, beat Damir Dzumhur 7-6(1), 6-4 in two hours and three minutes to achieve the quarter-finals.