MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca launched his Grand Slam career in spectacular fashion as the qualifier took down Russian ninth seed Andrey Rublev 7-6(1) 6-3 7-6(5) in the opening round of the Australian Open on Tuesday.

Joao Fonseca is the name on everyone’s lips at the Australian Open and Carlos Alcaraz was asked for his views on the teenage sensation. Playing in his maiden Grand Slam main draw, Fonseca stunned world No 9 Andrey Rublev in straight sets to become only the second teenager to beat a top-10 player in their first-ever major match since the ATP Rankings was introduced in 1973.

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 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.

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.