This is what the Rio de Janeiro fans have come to see: Joao Fonseca, fresh off his first ATP title in Buenos Aires. Fonseca will kick off his campaign against Alexandre Muller, while Tomas Martin Etcheverry meets Corentin Moutet.

(SE) Joao Fonseca vs. Alexandre Muller

As if the hype around Fonseca at home for the ATP 500 Rio Open wasn’t already going to be off the charts, he won his first ATP title in Buenos Aires on Sunday. The 18-year-old Brazilian won a trio of three-setters last week but at least managed to conserve energy by finishing off Francisco Cerundolo in a second-set tiebreaker in the final. Fonseca is 18-2 in his last 20 matches dating back to his triumph at the 2024 NextGen ATP Finals.

Up first for the world No. 68 on Tuesday night is Muller, whom he has never faced. The 60th-ranked Frenchman is also a first-time ATP champion in 2025, but he has been hopeless since lifting the Hong Kong trophy. Muller’s clay-court swing has begun with immediate losses–neither competitive–at the Rosario Challenger (to Felipe Meligeni Alves) and in Buenos Aires (to Laslo Djere). Even if fatigue is somewhat of a factor, Fonseca should treat the fans to a dominant performance.

Pick: Fonseca in 2

Corentin Moutet vs. (8) Tomas Martin Etcheverry

Etcheverry had the misfortunate of running into Fonseca right away in Buenos Aires. The Argentine’s draw in Rio de Janeiro is much more favorable with Moutet on the other side of the net. Moutet is no slouch on clay, but he would much rather face Etcheverry on any other surface. The French left-hander is coming off a second-round appearance in Buenos Aires, where he lost to Lorenzo Musetti 6-2, 6-3.

It has been a mediocre start to 2025 for Etcheverry, who has won a match at four of five events (including Davis Cup). The Argentine is an absolute force on clay, with a 286-145 all-time record on the slow stuff compared to a 42-43 mark on outdoor hard courts and 3-8 on grass. On this surface, Etcheverry will likely be too good for Moutet.

Pick: Etcheverry in 2