Joao Fonseca Loses Thrilling Miami Battle After De Minaur's Anger With Brazilian Fans
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Teenage prodigy Joao Fonseca fell in the round of 32 at the 2025 Miami Open to Alex de Minaur in arguably the tournament's best match.
Fonseca's talent has been known to dedicated tennis fans for some time, but his name recognition grew significantly after a memorable run to the 2025 Argentina Open title in Buenos Aires last month.
The 18-year-old demonstrated that he is not just a talent on clay by winning last week's 2025 Phoenix Open, an ATP 175 tournament held during the second week of the 2025 Indian Wells Open.
Fonseca received astounding support during his two victories in Miami that set up the meeting with de Minaur. There was widespread outrage among the Brazilian fans when his round-of-64 match against Ugo Humbert was moved to a new court, although fans could ultimately upgrade their tickets.
De Minaur would always be Fonseca's most significant test so far in Miami. The Australian was the No. 10 seed, and his supreme athleticism and impressive baseline hitting are very difficult to break down.
Both men started impressively on their serves. Each got some free points, but also stepped up during the rallies in the opening ten games of the contest. Neither man created any break points in that period.
However, there were plenty of intense and high-quality rallies for the fans to enjoy. In characteristic style, Fonseca was trying to hit his forehand at every opportunity and routinely showed great athleticism to run around his back to bring it into play.
The teenager struck first in the 11th game of the opening set with some incredible shot-making. De Minaur did not do much wrong in the rallies during the game, but could do nothing about Fonseca's hitting after not getting any cheap points on-serve.
Fonseca served out the set without any issues to take the first set 7-5, which was met by a deafening roar from the Bazilians inside the stadium. Recovering against the electric Fonseca and the crowd was a daunting challenge for the Australian.
However, De Minaur is one of the most resilient players in tennis. He fights until the end no matter what and got back to work at the start of the second set, which coincided with Fonseca's level suddenly dropping.
At one stage, de Minaur won nine consecutive points, including breaking Fonseca to love after several unforced errors from the Brazilian. This year's Argentina Open champion steadied the ship by holding for 1-3 down.
After that, Fonseca's level rose again and he broke again in the fifth game. By this point, the crowd was even rowdier than earlier in the match, and controlling them became challenging.
De Minaur was left seething in the seventh game when fans loudly and deliberately called out in the middle of his serve despite repeated requests from umpire Mohamed Lahyani to stop.
Despite his growing frustration with the Brazilian fans, de Minaur managed to hold for 4-3 from a break down in a game that humorously ended with Fonseca unable to run for a shot because his shoe fell off.
The No. 10 seed saved another break point in the ninth game when Fonseca dumped a slice into the net. De Minaur was rewarded for his resilience on those break-point chances and stunned the fans into silence in the 12th game.
Last year's Wimbledon quarterfinalist let out a roar after breaking to win the set 7-5. De Minaur tested Fonseca's nerve by being solid, and the young ATP star could not cope, making several unforced errors.
Fonseca hit back immediately, breaking in the opening game of the set. But de Minaur simply refused to lie down. He retrieved the break in the fourth game when the Brazilian hit a forehand long after pressure built during the game.
How de Minaur seized the momentum for the rest of the match from that moment was surprising and highly impressive. The locked-in Australian barely missed a shot, and Fonseca, clearly feeling the pressure and the physical strain from the contest, could not sustain his level.
De Minaur broke again and then held for 5-2, leaving Fonseca's fans quieter than at any previous stage. The 18-year-old did make his more experienced opponent serve it out by getting the score to 5-3.
Despite attempts by Fonseca to whip the crowd up further, de Minaur did not falter. He served out a superb 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 win that will undoubtedly feel sweeter after his annoyance with the crowd during the contest. It was a testament to the 26-year-old's superb resilience.
This defeat is undoubtedly painful for Fonseca, but he can reflect on a positive North American hard-court swing and focus on preparing for tournaments on his favored clay, beginning after the Miami Open.
