Rio de Janeiro, Feb 18 (IANS) Brazilian tennis player Thiago Monteiro, ranked 338th in the world, pulled off one of the biggest shocks of the Rio Open here by beating Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, currently World No.9.
Monteiro beat his much-favoured opponent in three sets on Wednesday. The home-based athlete took the lead with a 6-3 success in the first set, before Songa levelled by the same margin. But Monteiro managed a memorable victory, winning the third set 6-4 to progress to the next round, reports Xinhua.
The last time a Brazilian tennis player upset one of the world’s best was in 2012 when Thomaz Bellucci beat David Ferrer in the second round of the 1,000 Masters in Monte Carlo.
The 21-year-old will now face Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas, ranked 34th.
Monteiro was as high as second in the junior rankings, but has suffered a series of injuries over recent years.