![\"Joao](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fonseca-feature-miami-2026-friday.jpg\")
<\/p>\n Match Preview
\n Fonseca on Alcaraz: ‘I need to face him with the mentality I can win’<\/p>\n
19-year-old previews his first meeting with World No. 1 Alcaraz on Friday<\/p>\n
March 20, 2026<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
ATP Tour<\/p>\n
Joao Fonseca meets World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz for the first time on Friday in Miami.
\n By Jerome Coombe<\/p>\n
Joao Fonseca<\/a> continues to make headlines across the ATP Tour, but few challenges come bigger than facing the top two players in the PIF ATP Rankings in consecutive weeks.<\/p>\n The 19-year-old Brazilian now prepares for another statement opportunity when he takes on World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz<\/a> in the second round of the Miami Open presented by Itau<\/a> on Friday. The clash comes just nine days after Fonseca delivered an eye-catching performance against Jannik Sinner<\/a> in Indian Wells, where he pushed the eventual champion to two tight tie-break sets.<\/p>\n Alcaraz, who has dropped just one match in 2026 and continues to set the pace at the top of the Tour, represents another stern examination. Yet Fonseca approaches the moment with the same fearless mindset that has underpinned his rapid rise.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to face this match as an opportunity,\u201d Fonseca told ATP Media. \u201cOf course, facing Jannik in the last tournament and now Alcaraz is such a great improvement for me as a player and trying to figure out problems. There’s going to be problems\u2026 You can play perfect, but these guys are just so good that they can beat you.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I played such a great match against Jannik and I had some opportunities. I am, of course, happy with myself because I gave everything. I played a good match. But I\u2019m focusing on what I needed to do to win this match or win the first set, or what I could do to win the second set as well. Against those guys, it\u2019s always a little detail.\u201d<\/p>\n Those fine margins were evident in the Californian desert, where Fonseca held three set points in the opening set against Sinner but was unable to convert, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Still, Fonseca left Indian Wells with the belief that he can not only compete with the very best, but also trouble them<\/a>.<\/p>\n Watch Sinner vs. Fonseca Indian Wells Highlights:<\/p>\n