Joao Fonseca’s preparation for the US Open has suffered a setback after he was forced to withdraw from his third round match at the Cincinnati Open.
The Brazilian world No.26 was due to play Australia’s Christopher O’Connell on Monday after coming through his opening match in straight sets. However, he has been forced to pull out after picking up an abdominal injury. No details have been given about the severity of the injury.
“During practice, I felt slight discomfort on the left side of my abdomen,” Fonseca posted on his Instagram Stories. “After undergoing tests, my team and I decided to withdraw from the Cincinnati Open to recover as quickly as possible.”
It is understood that there is currently no concern that the issue will force Fonseca out of the US Open, where he will be making his second main draw appearance. Last year he reached the second round before losing to Tomas Machac, who was seeded 21st in the tournament.
Fonseca is also a former US Open junior champion, defeating Learner Tien in 2023.
“It’s always nice to look back. I think my junior career was very special to me and very important for my development, both as a player and as a person,” he said after his opening win in Cincinnati.
“That U.S. Open was really good; I played some great tennis, and when I go back there, I’ll try to imagine myself winning (the title).”
The 19-year-old is currently 19-13 on the Tour this season and has made it to the quarter-finals of three events – the Monte Carlo Masters, BMW Open and French Open. More recently, he reached the third round of the Canadian Masters before losing to Ben Shelton, who went on to win the title.
The US Open will begin on August 30th.
