Carlos Alcaraz and Joao Fonseca squared off for the first time in their careers at the Miami Open on Friday night.
Chapter one — hopefully of many — unsurprisingly went to Alcaraz, who prevailed 6-4, 6-4 after one hour and 35 minutes. The top-ranked Spaniard saved all three of the break point he faced, so a single break in each set was enough to advance.
“I think I was really good in crucial moments,” Alcaraz assessed. “I was really good since the beginning until the last ball. I know how good Joao is, and that’s why I was really focused, every point, every shot. I’m just happy to stay calm, to stay positive in those moments. Most of the games, I just served pretty well — which was a really great weapon today for me.
“For him, playing toe to toe with [me and Jannik Sinner], I think he and his team are going to get great feedback to know what he should improve in the future. I think he has everything, great shots — a lot of things to improve, but for sure he’s going to do it. Back-to-back tournaments playing the No. 1 and No. 2 in the world I think is going to be really helpful for him.”
Fonseca lost to Sinner 7-6(6), 7-6(4) in the Indian Wells fourth round.
Next up for Alcaraz is Sebastian Korda, who easily dispatched Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-0, 6-3.
nice one, Alcaraz
Yeah, just not a good matchup for Fonseca right now, maybe things will change.
What amount of hype about this match the past few days. One sided in real world.