Miami
Alcaraz to put Fonseca theory to test in Miami
Spaniard, Brazilian to meet for first time
March 20, 2026
ATP Tour
Carlos Alcaraz and Joao Fonseca are both former Next Gen ATP Finals champions.
By Sam Jacot
Last week at the BNP Paribas Open, World No. 2 Jannik Sinner battled past 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, with the Italian saving three set points and prevailing in two tie-breaks in Indian Wells.
Among those watching closely was World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who came away impressed.
“Obviously when someone is going toe to toe with Jannik, that means he had to play great tennis and perform really, really well,” Alcaraz said when asked about Fonseca in Indian Wells. “I couldn’t see the full match, but I saw that Joao is playing great tennis. I’m really happy to see Joao playing these kinds of matches, at this kind of level.”
Alcaraz also predicted Fonseca’s rise is only just beginning and he won’t have to wait long to test that theory himself. On Friday night at the Miami Open presented by Itau, the World No. 1 faces the Brazilian for the first time in a matchup that already carries intrigue.
While it will be their first tour-level meeting, the two are far from strangers. They shared the court at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals, when Fonseca was a sparring partner, and practised together again at Wimbledon last year.
At 19, Alcaraz had already claimed a US Open title, risen to World No. 1 and lifted two ATP Masters 1000 trophies. Fonseca’s résumé is still developing, with titles at ATP 250 and 500 level, but his rapid progress has not gone unnoticed.
Now, under the lights on Stadium Court, the Brazilian will look to back up that expectation, and perhaps deliver a shock result, when he takes on the top seed in the second round, not before 7 p.m. local time.