João Souza
João Olavo de Souza Soares (born 27 May 1988 in Mogi das Cruzes ) is a Brazilian tennis player.
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Life and career
Career and junior career
João Souza began at the age of nine with the tennis games. In 2005 he moved to Rio de Janeiro, and trained there ever since with Ricardo Acioly which the late 80s had won some ATP doubles title and was from 1998 to 2003 Captain of the Brazilian Davis Cup team. The collaboration quickly led to success: On the junior tour João Souza won some tournaments in South America gain and thus rose to number 51 of the junior world rankings.
2004-2009: Initial Successes in Futures and Challenger tournaments
Parallel Souza also played since 2004 in the adult area on Futures tournaments, and was first performed after winning the first match in September 2005 in the tennis world rankings. In October 2006, he reached for the first time a futures - finals, and in May 2007 he won his first Futures title. Later in the year he won two Futures tournaments, it could also achieve first match profits even with some Challenger tournaments. In 2007, he finished at No. 313 in the world rankings.
In 2008, João Souza found two Futures titles. When Challenger tournaments he reached the semi-finals three times this year. In addition, he tried first time this year, to qualify for the Grand Slam tournament, he made it but not further than the second qualifying round. In December 2008, Souza was first performed in the top 200 in the world rankings.
In February 2009, João Souza got together with his compatriot Ricardo Hocevar a wildcard for the ATP tournament in Costa do Sauipe. However, you already eliminated in the first round against Lucas Arnold Ker and Juan Mónaco. After he had failed three times in the semifinals of a Challenger tournament in the course of 2009, Souza was in November 2009, in Medellín for the first time a final reach. However, he lost in three tight sets against the top 100 players Juan Ignacio Chela. Already in May 2009, Souza was the first time can win a double Challenger title in Pereira.
2010-2011: ATP debut, Challenger titles and entry into the Top 100
In February 2010, the first time was able to qualify an ATP tournament for the Singles Main Draw João Souza in Santiago de Chile. In the first round he defeated a sensational set at position 7 Simon Greul, and was then able to advance to the semifinals by beating Pere Riba and Alberto Martín. There, however, he had no chance against the top 30 player Juan Monaco. In the following ATP tournament in Costa do Sauipe Souza could then compete in the main draw for a Special Exempt without qualification. However, he resigned in the first round against Victor Hanescu from. In April 2010, won João Souza in Bogotá his first Challenger title. He defeated Santiago Giraldo only in the semifinals and then the finals Alejandro Falla, so the two best Colombian player was beaten on home soil. In the rest of the season Souza kept trying to qualify for ATP tournaments, but never made the jump into the main draw. But he was in September 2010 - again in Bogotá - by beating Reda El Amrani win his second Challenger title. He was during the whole tournament from no sentence. Only two weeks later, he reached the final again in Quito, had to be there but in three sets to the local hero Giovanni Lapentti defeated. Nevertheless, he achieved then rank its 101 best-ever world ranking.
At the beginning of 2011, João Souza was eliminated in the first round of qualifying at the Australian Open. When ATP tournament in Santiago de Chile in February 2011, he was the top -100 player Pablo Cuevas defeat in the first round, but then lost in the second round against Máximo González. During this second ATP tournament in Costa do Sauipe Souza was eliminated in the second round. The nearest major success he achieved in April 2011 at the Challenger tournament in Santos, where he was first in the semifinals of the top 100 players Ricardo Mello defeated and then the winner went off in the final against Diego Junqueira and thus his first title in this year won. A month later he met in Zagreb again in a Challenger final on Junqueira, but lost this time in straight sets. In July 2011, Souza qualified for the ATP tournament in Gstaad, where he lost in three sets in the first round against Frederico Gil. A week later he qualified in Kitzbühel again for an ATP tournament, and was able to reach an ATP semi-finals for the second time in his career there, among other things, a victory over the top -50 player Pablo Andújar. There he was defeated in three sets to the eventual tournament winner Robin Haase, but then rose for the first time into the top 100 in the world rankings. In August 2011, Souza for the first time was able to successfully qualify for a Grand Slam tournament at the U.S. Open, but retired in the first round against Robby Ginepri from. At the last ATP clay court tournament of the season in Bucharest João Souza could once again reach quarter -finals and defeated Among other things, the set at position 5 top 50 player Tommy Robredo.
After he finished the year ranked 104 in the world rankings, João Souza was directly qualified for the 2012 Australian Open, but where he lost in the first round Matthew Ebden. In doubles, however, he could reach on the side of his compatriot Ricardo Mello the second round, where she lost to the eventual semi-finalists Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau. During the subsequent ATP tournament in Vina del Mar Souza reached after a victory over Filippo Volandri at position 8 set as well as the former top -10 player Fernando González the quarter-finals, left there but against Juan Ignacio Chela.