Success In Rio
World number 338, Thiago Monteiro shocked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga by beating him in three sets 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, at the Rio Open. This was by far the Brazilian's biggest victory. Monteiro was playing in his first ever ATP 500 tournament and with Tsonga being the outright favourite to go through, this was considered as a major shock around the tennis world. Prior to playing Rio, he played in a Challenger event in Rio De Janeiro, where he was defeated by Argentine Facundo Bagnis in the semifinal.
After defeating Tsonga, Thiago Monteiro was then awarded with a wildcard for the upcoming Brasil Open in Sao Paolo, where he would compete in the main draw. Another Brasilian, Guilherme Clezar, was awarded with a wildcard. With this win, Monteiro made his breakthrough and his results haven't gone unnoticed due to his wildcard.
Who is Thiago Monteiro?
Thiago Monteiro is a 21-year old player from Fortaleza, Brazil. He plays left handed with a double handed backhand. During his junior career he reached a career high of number two on 2 February 2012, with his biggest junior singles title being the Grade A, Copa Gerdau in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 2012. In 2008 he represented Brazil in the World Junior Tennis Finals and in 2010 he also represented Brazil in the Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas finals Ambition in Tennis: World Number 1.
His favourite surfaces are clay and hard courts. His career high in the professional circuit is number 254, which was achieved on 4 November 2013, and last year he finished 392 in the year end rankings.
The youngster has won a combined 6 titles at futures level in singles and doubles.