MIAMI, March 20 - Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca will face world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz at the Miami Open, a week after pushing No. 2 Jannik Sinner to the brink at Indian Wells.
The 19-year-old, fresh off a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 first-round win over Fabian Marozsan, burst onto the scene by winning the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals - the same tournament that launched Alcaraz and Sinner.
Those two have combined to win 10 of the last 11 Grand Slams. Fonseca lost 7-6(6), 7-6(4) to Sinner in the fourth round but emerged more confident.
"I'm excited for sure," Fonseca said. "I look forward to playing against the top players. It's a super experience. Hopefully I can get the win."
Fonseca draws crowd support rivaling soccer matches, with fans chanting and roaring through his matches. He credited the energy after defeating Marozsan: "The crowd really helped me stay positive. I'm very happy with this win."
He now stands one match away from a defining showdown with tennis’ brightest star.