NBO Montreal Tale of the Tape: Fonseca vs. Ruud

Leading off Friday in Montreal is Joao Fonseca up against Casper Ruud. 

They both know how to drill forehands, eh? Fonseca’s forehand booms while Ruud combines speed and spin, similar to his idol, Rafael Nadal. Expect the Brazilian flags and yellow soccer jerseys to be lighting up IGA Stadium in support of Fonseca. 

Let’s take a deeper dive into the matchup.

Head-to-head

They have met once before — and it was a thriller. It took place at this year’s Roland-Garros in the fourth round after both won marathon matches to get there. 

Fonseca needed five hours to defeat Novak Djokovic while Ruud beat Tommy Paul in almost the same amount of time. 

READ: Getting to know Joao Fonseca 

Fonseca prevailed 7-5, 7-6 (8), 5-7, 6-2 over the two-time French Open finalist but not without controversy. With Ruud holding a set point in the second set tiebreaker, Fonseca ripped a forehand close to the baseline.

There was no call, electronic line calling isn’t used at Roland-Garros, so the chair umpire came down to inspect the mark. She ruled that it touched the line but TV replays showed that the ball was long. Fonseca won the tiebreaker and the match. 

They ended with the same number of winners (51) and unforced errors (52). 

Season so far 

Ruud holds the higher ranking and is also better in the Race to the ATP Finals in Turin. 

Clay has always been the Norwegian’s preferred surface and he enjoyed another good swing this year, reaching the quarterfinals in Madrid, final in Rome and semifinals in Geneva. 

As for the grass, well… let’s just say that Ruud loves golf. 

For the fourth straight season, he played one event or fewer on grass. 

But he used the grass swing wisely, getting married to longtime partner Maria Galligani in Spain. 

Fonseca is still so young, 19, and thus, growing pains are to be expected when it comes to learning the rigors of the pro tour. 

But he also excelled on the European clay, notably in that comeback from two sets down against Djokovic. He made a first Grand Slam quarterfinal in Paris, before being stopped by fellow rising star Jakub Mensik. 

Also notable? He played Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz for the first time in 2026, losing both times to the duo he is sometimes compared with. 

Tournament results 

For all his clay court prowess, we shouldn’t forget that Ruud is a US Open finalist, losing to Alcaraz in what turned out to be the Spaniard’s first Grand Slam title. 

That was in 2022. Ruud warmed up nicely in Montreal, making the semifinals. But since then, he hasn’t reached the quarterfinals in Canada. In his last trip to Montreal in 2024, Ruud was forced to pull out in the third round because of illness. 

Fonseca, meanwhile, made his first visit to the NBO last year, upset in his opening match at the hands of Aussie Tristan Schoolkate in quick conditions. 

While Ruud is a Masters 1000 winner, Fonseca is looking to reach a first Masters semifinal. 

Photo: Sarah-Jäde Champagne / Tennis Canada