Joao Fonseca’s breakthrough year in 2025 has been marked by significant achievements and evident areas for growth, particularly in his return game.

The 18-year-old Brazilian has climbed impressively from outside the top 650 to within the world’s top 50 in just 17 months. His notable milestones include becoming the seventh youngest ATP title winner by capturing the Buenos Aires ATP 250 title in February. Additionally, Fonseca secured his first top-10 win at the Australian Open by defeating Andrey Rublev.

Despite a remarkable start to his season, Fonseca has experienced fluctuations in performance, including an ATP Challenger title in Phoenix followed by a three-match losing streak. Most recently, he was defeated by world No. 103 Tristan Schoolkate in the first round of the Canadian Masters, with a scoreline of 7-6(5), 6-4.

Lindsay Davenport, former world No. 1, discussed Fonseca’s challenges on the Tennis Channel Live podcast. She remarked, “Obviously it’s been a remarkable year for Fonseca but his expectations are much higher than going out in the first round.” Addressing Fonseca’s return game, Davenport noted, “He really struggled with his return in the match. Yes, Schoolkate served well but there was no real problem-solving for Fonseca in that category. [He] just wasn’t able to get the rally in to start the point when he was receiving.”

Davenport added that with about two weeks until his next match, Fonseca might take the opportunity for focused training, possibly in south Florida or Brazil. She also pointed out the mental aspects young players must navigate, saying, “You’ve got to be able to manage an 18, almost 19-year-old’s mental game as well, and this has been a lot this year maybe.”

Jon Wertheim, another Tennis Channel contributor, reflected on Fonseca’s inconsistent results, stating, “Note that 6-7 record since Miami, I mean, keep in mind three of those were at majors, so I mean he’s won rounds at all three majors he’s played at this year, that’s a good sign, best of five format. But the results at other tournaments haven’t quite been there.”

Wertheim also acknowledged the pressure the young player faces, especially with growing attention ahead of his US Open debut.

Fonseca is set to compete next at the Cincinnati Masters from August 7 to 18, where observers will be keen to see how he progresses.

Iga Swiatek, a dominant force in women’s tennis, has built a remarkable career with 23 WTA titles, including six Grand Slam victories and 10 WTA 1000 championships. However, several significant tournaments continue to elude the 24-year-old Polish star.

At the Canadian Open, where Swiatek is currently competing following her Wimbledon win, she is still chasing her inaugural title. Her best showing was a semi-final appearance in 2023, where she lost a tight three-set match to eventual champion Jessica Pegula. Swiatek began her 2025 campaign with a strong win over Guo Hanyu.

Swiatek has triumphed thrice at the Qatar Open, yet the Dubai Tennis Championships remain elusive. She reached the final there in 2023 but was defeated in straight sets by Barbora Krejcikova. In recent years, she also fell in the semi-final in 2024 and quarter-final in 2025 at Dubai.

Another notable target is the Cincinnati Open, a WTA 1000 event where Swiatek has reached the semi-finals in both the 2023 and 2024 editions but has not clinched the title. She was eliminated by eventual champions Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka in those years, respectively.

The Wuhan Open is notably absent from Swiatek’s resume; she has never competed there. The tournament’s hiatus during 2020-2023 and a provisional suspension for a doping violation in 2024 prevented her participation.

Finally, the one Grand Slam missing from Swiatek’s collection is the Australian Open, crucial for completing the Career Grand Slam. She reached the semi-finals in both 2022 and 2025 but has not advanced beyond that stage. In 2025’s semi-final, she came close to extending her run but was thwarted as Madison Keys saved a match point on the way to the title.

Should Swiatek prevail at the Australian Open in the future, she would become only the 11th woman in tennis history to win all four majors.

Lorenzo Musetti is dedicating significant effort to improving his forehand as he prepares for the US Open, emphasizing adjustments required for hard court play. The Italian commenced his Canadian Masters campaign with a 7-5, 6-1 win over James Duckworth, despite a challenging recent run, having lost three of his last four matches.

Musetti, who reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at the 2024 French Open and climbed to a career-high world No. 6 before slipping back to No. 10 after a first-round Wimbledon exit, recognizes the demands hard courts place on his game. “The biggest adjustments for me on hard court is try to adapt the speed of the court,” he explained to the Tennis Channel, adding that hard courts require more impulsive play, contrasting with the slower pace on clay where he has more time to strategize.

He highlighted the necessity of changing his game style and personality to meet these conditions, with a focus on the serve and return as key components for success. Musetti is currently the only player with a one-handed backhand among the world’s top 15, a style that presents distinct challenges on faster surfaces. “Especially on the return side, there’s many disadvantages, I would say, if you play one‑handed backhand,” he noted in an ATP Tour interview.

The past year has been transformative for Musetti, featuring two Grand Slam semi-finals, an Olympic bronze medal, a Masters 1000 final appearance in Monte Carlo, and breaking into the top 10 rankings. Looking ahead, he cites the Turin event as his foremost goal but prefers to avoid excessive pressure. “There’s many points to catch,” he said, referring to the North American hard court swing, which includes two Masters 1000 events and the US Open, where he aims to maintain consistency and accumulate points.

Currently ranked sixth in the live ATP standings, Musetti is poised to potentially qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals if he sustains his form.