João Fonseca and the passion of his Brazilian fanbase were a revelation at last year’s Miami Open. The teenager drew huge crowds wherever he played, and his second-round match against Ugo Humbert was eventually moved from a smaller court to Hard Rock Stadium when he found the original venue wasn’t adequate to watch him up close.
question? Fans have already found their seats in the outfield. When news of the last-minute substitutions spread, a large crowd of spectators descended on the stadium midway through Jack Draper’s match with Jakub Mensik, causing chaos and causing the game to be briefly postponed.
After last year’s scheduling chaos, Miami tournament director James Black made one thing clear: Joao Fonseca is now the attraction at the stadium from the start.
The Brazilian will therefore start his season under bright lights when he takes on the extremely dangerous Fabian Maroussan. If Fonseca advances, he will stay there: Monday’s draw shows the winner will face Carlos Alcaraz in the second round.
It’s a tough draw for both players – and perhaps not an ideal one for the world number one.
For the record, Marozsan defeated Fonseca in their only meeting in Rome last season, winning 6-3, 7-6(4).
A year ago, Fonseca reached the third round in Miami, losing in three sets to Alex De Minaur, while Alcaraz unexpectedly exited early, losing his first match to David Goffin.
