Match Report
\n Fonseca sets Alcaraz blockbuster in Miami: ‘It’s going to be a great match’<\/p>\n
#NextGenATP Brazilian overcomes Marozsan in three sets to reach R2<\/p>\n
March 19, 2026<\/p>\n
ATP Tour<\/p>\n
Joao Fonseca in action against Fabian Marozsan on Thursday in Miami.
\n By Andy West<\/p>\n
Joao Fonseca<\/a> dug deep to earn a big reward on Thursday at the Miami Open presented by Itau<\/a>. <\/p>\n The #NextGenATP star outlasted Fabian Marozsan<\/a> 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in a hard-fought first-round encounter at the ATP Masters 1000 event. With his one-hour, 50-minute triumph in front of a host of raucous Brazilian fans, Fonseca set an intriguing second-round matchup with the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Carlos Alcaraz<\/a>. It will be the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head encounter. <\/p>\n A blockbuster R2 matchup awaits \ud83c\udf7f@carlosalcaraz<\/a> \ud83c\udd9a Fonseca@MiamiOpen<\/a> | #MiamiOpen<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/CB7UQZhFgj<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ATP Tour (@atptour) March 19, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Fonseca\u2019s Miami meeting with Alcaraz comes hot on the heels of the Brazilian\u2019s maiden tour-level clash with Jannik Sinner<\/a>. Fonseca pushed Sinner to two tie-break sets last week when competing in the fourth round at a Masters 1000 for the first time in Indian Wells. Fans can now look forward to seeing how the 19-year-old fares in his maiden meeting with World No. 1 Alcaraz, who is 16-1 for the season including title runs at the Australian Open<\/a> and in Doha. <\/p>\n \u201cI’m excited for sure,\u201d said Fonseca, when asked about the prospect of facing Alcaraz. \u201cI don\u2019t know about other players, but I look forward to playing against the top players. I played against Jannik last tournament, and now I\u2019m playing against Carlos. It\u2019s just a super experience, so I\u2019m looking forward to it for sure and it\u2019s going to be a great match. Hopefully I can get the win.\u201d <\/p>\n Fonseca\u2019s path to the second round and the chance to take on Alcaraz was far from straightforward inside Hard Rock Stadium, where Marozsan expertly capitalised on a drop in the Brazilian\u2019s level in the second set. Yet the Hungarian undermined his efforts early in the third, producing three unforced errors in a row to gift his opponent a break in the second game. From there, Fonseca channelled the constant support of the Brazilian contingent in the crowd to complete his win. <\/p>\n Returning to the event where he reached the third round on debut in 2025, Fonseca fired 12 aces and won 75 per cent (48\/64) of points behind his first serve against Marozsan, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Although the two-time ATP Tour champion was inconsistent at times and produced 27 unforced errors to 22 winners, he produced several eye-catching moments of magic en route to victory. <\/p>\n \u201cAfter a tough second set when he played a little bit better and went more for his shots, I played really well in the beginning of the third set,\u201d reflected Fonseca. \u201cThat was the main difference. The crowd really helped me to stay positive throughout the whole match, so I\u2019m very happy with this win and hopefully I can continue playing like this during this tournament.\u201d <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n