Alcaraz Battles Past Fonseca in Miami Open First-Round Thriller

Alcaraz and Fonseca, both of them at their aggressive best, produced a booming sound when the ball connected with their racquets and enthralled the fans in Miami in their well-contested, first-ever ATP Head-to-Head meeting. It was Alcaraz who came out on top by 6-4, 6-4.

Fonseca got some strong support from the Brazilians in the crowd as he put in a spirited fight against the world number one. Alcaraz's experience, class and maturity ultimately came out on top against Fonseca's ferocity.

Following the match, Alcaraz said, as quoted by ATP's official website, "I think I was really good in crucial moments. I was really good from the beginning until the last ball. I know how good Joao is, and that is why I was really focused on every point, every shot."

"I am 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," he added.

Fonseca has lost to both world number one Alcaraz and world number two Jannik Sinner at successive ATP Masters 1000 competitions. During the Indian Wells competition, Fonseca gave Sinner a scare by forcing two tie-breaks, but the four-time Grand Slam champion grinded out a win. In both matches, Fonseca's fighting spirit, raw power and ferocious gameplay were evident.

Alcaraz, reminiscing on his encounters with compatriot and legend Rafael Nadal back in 2021, spoke on how playing close games against him and Sinner would help him in knowing the areas he should improve on in the future.

"I think he has everything, great shots, and a lot of things to improve, but for sure he is going to do it. Back-to-back tournaments playing the number one and number two in the world, I think, are going to be really helpful for him," he added.

Alcaraz's next challenge is Sebastian Korda, the 32nd-seeded American who beat Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-0, 6-3 earlier on Friday.

Alcaraz, who crashed out in the semifinal of Indian Wells against Daniil Medvedev, returned to winning ways and has a 17-1 record this season. Since his shocking first-round exit in the Miami Open to David Goffin, he has a record of 73 wins and just six losses and at least a semifinal finish in 13 of his past 14 tournaments since that loss.

- ANI