Rising Brazilian Joao Fonseca could face No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in Miami Open

Joao Fonseca showed up at the Miami Open last March as a relatively unknown 18-year-old, just starting to get noticed after a meteoric rise from 2023 U.S. Open boys champion to No. 1 in the junior rankings to No. 60 in the ATP world rankings. He had just won his first tour title in Buenos Aires, becoming the youngest Brazilian champion in the Open era, and shocked No. 9 Andrey Rublev in the first round of the 2025 Australian Open, becoming the youngest man to beat a top 10 player there since 1973. By the time he left the Miami Open after pushing tenth-seeded Alex de Minaur in a three-set third-round loss, Fonseca had become a fan favorite, electrifying the Hard Rock Stadium crowd night after night. Everywhere he went on the tournament grounds, yellow-clad fans draped in Brazilian flags followed. Fonseca’s practice sessions drew larger crowds than some other players’ matches. Each time he stepped on court, it felt more like a soccer match than a tennis match. He is back at the Miami Open this week, ranked No. 39, and now, everyone in the tennis world knows who he is. His Instagram following has soared to 1.2 million. He is coming off a thrilling performance against No. 2 Jannik Sinner, pushing him to two tiebreaks in the fourth round at Indian Wells. Fonseca could get a shot at No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz this week. The Miami Open draw was released on Monday and Fonseca’s opening match is against Fabian Marozsan of Hungary. The winner of that match would play Alcaraz in the second round. An Alcaraz-Fonseca showdown would be a hot ticket. The two players faced each other in an exhibition match at the Marlins’ loanDepot Park in December. Alcaraz took the first set 7-5, Fonseca won the second 6-2 and Alcaraz won the tiebreaker 10-8. Sinner said of Fonseca: “He is fearless. He likes to go for shots. He is very aggressive. Has a great mentality. I don’t know him very well off the court, but he seems like a very humble kid, humble player. Yeah, for sure he’s gonna be very, very tough to beat. He’s already very tough to beat, but even in the future, even more so. “He’s very, very high-quality player. We all saw this. Now I have finally played against him, and I’m very sure he’s going to do some great things in the future.” Fonseca met with the media on Tuesday and said he is energized by his success at Indian Wells and his return to South Florida. “I like the city, I like to play here, I like the humidity, it’s a little closer to how it is in Brazil,” he said, smiling. “There are a lot of Brazilians in Miami and last year was a good test for me. It was crowded. It was loud. I like playing with the crowd and the support is just amazing.” Miami Open tournament director James Blake said fans can expect to see Fonseca on stadium court again. Fonseca said his experience at last year’s Miami Open prepared him for what was to come as his ranking and popularity rose. “It helped me learn not only about matches and living on tour, but also the fans,” he said. “It was a good test for me. It was one of the first tournaments where a lot of Brazilians came, so it was important for my development. Now, I’ll say I’m not used to it yet, but I’m more used to it than I was last year. I’m a little more prepared.” He said while he is pleased with his progress in the past year, he still has a way to go to reach the level of Sinner and top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz. “The consistency and the level that both of them are playing is just insane,” Fonseca said. “All the players, Top 5, Top 10 are saying those two are at a different level. What I can say is that I’m working really hard to achieve what these guys are doing. They can play at a high, high level for a long period and they don’t usually have weaknesses. You need to do everything almost perfect to beat them.” “Fonseca has been talk of the tour in the last several months. I mean, deservedly so,” Djokovic said. “He’s a very good tennis player. I mean, so young. Just incredible firepower from both ends of the baseline. Serve. He’s a very complete player. What is impressive is the way he strikes the ball, but even more so how he handles the nerves on the court for someone that doesn’t have experience at all playing at the highest level.” On the women’s side, Venus Williams, the former world No. 1 and three-time Miami Open champion, was granted a wild card to the main draw and at 45 is by far the oldest player in the tournament. Her first-round opponent is 25-year-old Francesca Jones of Great Britain, who is ranked No. 93 in the world. She was not born when Williams won the Miami Open in 1998 and 1999. If she wins her opening match she would play fellow American Jessica Pegula, who was a finalist here last year. Williams is 0-4 so far this year. The qualifying rounds got underway Monday after all matches were rained out on Sunday. Among the players who advanced: Americans Katie Volynets and Varvara Lepchenko, Talia Gibson of Australia, Arthur Fery of Great Britain, and Yunchaokete Bu of China.