By Shrivathsa Sridhar MELBOURNE (Reuters) -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.

João Fonseca has definitively introduced himself to the world as the latest teen sensation in men’s tennis by upsetting No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the first round of the Australian Open.

Brazil have known about Fonseca’s talent known for some time, making his ATP Tour debut at his home tournament in Rio as a 16-year-old wildcard. Fonseca also got the chance to be a hitting partner for Alcaraz and Sinner ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin after winning the US Open junior title in 2023.