Miami Tennis Invitational Round-Up | Carlos Alcaraz denies Joao Fonseca as Amanda Anisimova finally beats Jessica Pegula

History was made over night with the first tennis played inside of an MLB (baseball) stadium as loanDepot Park played host to the Miami Tennis Invitational with Jessica Pegula, Carlos Alcaraz and Amanda Anisimova this time joined by Joao Fonseca continuing their exhibition tour.

Last night saw A Racquet at the Rock in New Jersey which saw Frances Tiafoe top Carlos Alcaraz in a surprising win against the World No.1. While less surprising was in fact Amanda Anisimova losing to Jessica Pegula. Hilariously she joked after she finally defeated her on Monday that it had only taken her 10 years to do so.

It is a bit of a home coming for Anisimova two nights in a row. She returned home to New Jersey where she was born but growing up Miami was home and continues to be the case as she owns a lavish $1m penthouse on Miami Beach so in reality, Anisimova didn't need to even stay in a hotel during her stint in Florida.

Anisimova finally topped Pegula in a 6-2, 7-5 win albeit she did lose out alongside Brazilian kingpin Joao Fonseca in the mixed doubles in a ten point tie-break. After finally snapping her losing streak, Anisimova joked on court.

"It feels like it's taken me ten years (to beat Pegula), so it's really nice to be standing here today. Haha, I'm kidding, but yeah, Jess is an incredible player and it's always such a tough match playing against her, even at the exhibitions. We played in Jersey last night, I don't know if you guys got a chance to catch that, and we had another great match today, so it's always a lot of fun."

Albeit she was also asked how she found the game to finally snap the losing streak and was somewhat befuddled by the question taking the game at face value as an exhibition and not something to seriously hang her hat on season wise.

"Oh my God you're asking this as if we're back at the tournaments. We're still not there yet. I love playing here in Miami, maybe because of that. And I had my home crowd here and yeah, I'm excited to be here and it's super special for me to play at home."

For reference, Anisimova and Pegula have played three times since 2020 and Pegula has won all three including the final of the Canadian Open earlier this year.

While Pegula took stock herself and lauded the fact they were playing in a baseball stadium and unlike Anisimova who took the questioning jokingly she said it scratched an itch when it came to the new season.

“I think we’re the first tennis players ever to play in a baseball stadium, so pretty cool,” Pegula said as per Miami Herald.

“It gets you excited to start competing again,” she said. “We’re all coming off a little bit of a break, so playing exhibitions, you’re not playing for [ranking] points but it gets you in that competitive mindset and scratches that itch of getting in front of fans and feeling them cheer for you.”

While the other tie saw Carlos Alcaraz take down Joao Fonseca in a thriller which saw the Spaniard win 7-5, 2-6, 10-8 in the end in a last ditch tie-break after he had lost last night.

Spanish legends Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba were there and despite Alcaraz being a Real Madrid fan, he lauded their appearance.

“It was a pleasure for me to see them play the penultimate game of their careers, a marvelous experience and I’m very happy for them to have won the MLS,” Alcaraz said before the match. “At the end, [David] Beckham, Messi, Jordi, Busi, I was so happy for them. They deserve it. And now, knowing they are here for my match is inspiring. Yes, I am a fan of Real Madrid, but I have the upmost respect for those two for what they’ve done for their clubs, their national teams, the way they played, they are among the best in history, and you have to admire them."

While after also quelling the charge of the Brazilian, he was full of admiration for him and it could yet be a tie we see a lot of in the coming years.

“Joao entered the tour with a lot of force, he has a great game, and it should be a very entertaining match,” Alcaraz said. “This is my first time playing in a baseball stadium or even being in a baseball stadium. It’s incredible to play here and help bring tennis to new places and new people.”