Resilient Alex de Minaur overcomes a partisan crowd and outlasts Joao Fonseca to reach Miami quarters

Alex De Minaur claimed a hard-fought victory against Joao Fonseca at the Miami Open in one of the best matches of the day at Hard Rock Stadium. The Australian overcame a crowd almost entirely behind the Brazilian, sealing the win 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.

Both players displayed great skill, but the World No. 11’s experience made the difference in the crucial moments, allowing him to prevail over the 18-year-old Fonseca.

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Fonseca edges De Minaur in tense first set

From the start, both players showed high-quality tennis, serving efficiently and avoiding break points early on. De Minaur won 15 consecutive points on serve, while Fonseca conceded just four points on return until 5-5.

Although both were solid on serve, several rallies were played in a match that got the crowd excited. There were no major differences up to that point, but it was in the tense moments where the difference was made.

De Minaur conceded the first break points in favor of Fonseca, and the Brazilian teenager took the advantage to close the set with his serve 7-5, where De Minaur had won 75% of the points on his serve, slightly below Fonseca’s 80%.

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De Minaur levels the match with gritty second-set comeback

De Minaur battled through a tough opening game and took advantage of some netted shots from Fonseca, breaking to love and taking a 3-0 lead. The Australian needed to hold serve, but Fonseca made it difficult, with service games becoming increasingly contested.

The World No. 60 broke back and levelled the set at 3-3. Fonseca created several break chances in the following games, seemingly on the verge of taking the lead. However, a momentary lapse at 5-6 handed De Minaur a crucial break, giving him the set 7-5. De Minaur recorded 10 winners and only 1 unforced error, compared to Fonseca's 7 winners and 20 unforced errors, which ultimately cost him the set.

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De Minaur pulls away in third set

Fonseca made a strong start in the decider, winning eight consecutive points to take a 2-0 lead. However, De Minaur took control from that point, securing two consecutive breaks and winning five straight games to go up 5-2, as Fonseca's errors piled up.

Fonseca used his inside-out forehand as his main weapon to outpace De Minaur, who stood firm at the baseline, extending rallies and forcing the Brazilian into risky shots. As Fonseca increased his aggression, mistakes crept into his game.

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A tense finish saw Brazilian fans grow louder, even interrupting De Minaur's serves with shouts. Nevertheless, the Australian kept his composure, closing out the match 5-7, 7-5, 6-3, winning six of the last seven games.

De Minaur reaches the Miami Open quarterfinals for the first time in his career and makes his fifth Masters 1000 quarterfinal overall. His next opponent will be former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini, who dispatched Zizou Bergs with ease.

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