Brazilian starlet Joao Fonseca sets up Carlos Alcaraz clash at Miami Open
The Brazilian often tipped as tennis’ next star faces the current best player in the world in a huge test
19-year-old tennis sensation Joao Fonseca set up a highly anticipated second-round clash with Carlos Alcaraz at the Miami Open , the first time the pair will meet. Fonseca took just shy of two hours to overcome Fabian Marozsan 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in front of a highly partisan Brazilian crowd at Miami Gardens. The teenager played Alcaraz’s only real rival, Jannik Sinner , in Indian Wells last month, and now faces the other pre-eminent player on the men’s tour.
Fonseca pushed Sinner in two tight tie-breaks in their fourth-round encounter, the first time the two played each other, with Sinner inching ahead in the key moments and ultimately going on to win the title, his first of 2026. “Excited for sure,” Fonseca said when asked about his next match. “I don’t know about other players, but I look forward to playing against the top players.
I played against Jannik last tournament, and now I’m playing against Carlos. “It’s just a super experience, so I’m looking forward to it for sure and it’s going to be a great match. Hopefully I can get the win.
” Miami was where an 18-year-old Alcaraz won his first Masters 1000 tournament in 2022, becoming the youngest champion in the tournament’s history. Now an eight-time Masters champion the Spaniard is the top seed in Miami, where he suffered a shock opening-round exit to David Goffin last year. Fonseca was pushed on by a large and vocal Brazilian contingent in Miami (Getty Images) Elsewhere another highly regarded young talent, French 17-year-old Moise Kouame, earned his first-ever ATP Tour win.