João Fonseca played one of the biggest matches of his career at Hard Rock Stadium Court in the 2026 Miami Open. The 19-year-old Brazilian faced World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the second-round match after having faced Jannik Sinner at the Indian Wells. These two consecutive meetings with the top two-ranked players have given him a lot of valuable experience early in his career.
However, right after facing the Spaniard, Fonseca called the Italian a “robot,” stating that Alcaraz is much more difficult to predict than Sinner.
João Fonseca Calls Jannik Sinner a ‘Robot’ After Facing Carlos Alcaraz in Miami Open
Alcaraz ended the Brazilian sensation Fonseca’s Miami Open campaign in the second round, defeating him 6-4, 6-4 in just over 90 minutes. He delivered a near-perfect serving performance, breaking the 19-year-old early in both sets to take an upper hand in the match.
After the defeat, Fonseca said his match against World No. 2 Sinner at Tennis Paradise prepared him to face Alcaraz. Notably, he differentiated both top players’ playstyle, pointing out why Alcaraz is harder to predict than the Italian. “I think it helped me to understand, of course, different types of games,” he said.
Calling Sinner a “robot,” Fonseca added, “I think Alcaraz has more arsenal than Sinner. Sinner is more like a robot that just kills the ball and does everything perfect. And Carlos, he can do everything. He can do with topspin, can fire the ball, he has good movement. Goes to the net. He has everything. It’s more difficult to understand the game. He breaks a lot your rhythm.”
Reflecting on the second-round matchup from yesterday, Fonseca acknowledged his struggles with his serve early on and noted that Alcaraz’s strong returning helped the Spaniard settle into the match. Fonseca also mentioned the pressure on both athletes due to such a highly anticipated battle, adding that,
MORE: Carlos Alcaraz Recalls Rafael Nadal ‘Destroying’ Him To Predict Joāo Fonseca’s Rise
Alcaraz capitalized by securing early breaks in both sets. But Alcaraz, being the World No. 1, collected himself and dominated the match without feeling any pressure.
Fonseca praised Alcaraz’s aggressive net play, and while crediting Sinner’s matchup for the experience, he said, “I think Jannik’s game helped me to enter the court with no fear, trying to play my game, but I think I didn’t got the opportunities that I had.”
Before concluding, Fonseca made sure to credit Alcaraz for his incredible performance, saying, “Of course, he played good. He’s No. 1 in the world. I need to think about my mistakes and try to improve.”
Even though the Brazilian wasn’t able to reach the later stages of both tournaments, these two matches were crucial for his rise on the ATP Tour. After seeing where he falls short and what he needs to improve, Fonseca can focus on refining his playstyle and adapting to the big stages.
Fonseca’s High-Octane Clash With Alcaraz
Alcaraz was the clear favorite, but the immense support behind Fonseca was expected to play a vital role during the match. The Spaniard broke the Brazilian in the third game of the first set, taking a formidable 3-1 lead early on. Both players then held serves to finish out the set 6-4 in Alcaraz’s favor in around 45 minutes.
In the second set, the Spaniard made his intentions clear in the very first game, breaking his opponent’s serve in the first game to again take a 3-1 lead. Just like the first set, Fonseca was unable to break Alcaraz, whereas the World No. 1 didn’t need to, closing out the match 6-4, 6-4.
The Spaniard hit a total of eight aces during the match, compared to the Brazilian’s five, while committing one more double fault than his opponent (three and two, respectively). Alcaraz landed 70% of his first serves, winning 80% of those points, while he won more than 50% points on his second serve.
MORE: Danielle Collins Shuts Down Pregnancy Rumors With ‘Bloated and Bleeding’
As Fonseca mentioned himself, he struggled with his serve, landing 63% of his first serves and winning 67% of those points. Alcaraz also hit 26 winners throughout the match, along with 22 unforced errors, while Fonseca committed costly unforced errors, which led to his exit.
Alcaraz is now set to face the 32nd seed of the tournament, American Sebastian Korda, and according to PFSN’s exclusive interactive simulator, he has 88% chances of reaching the fourth round, where he is most likely to meet the 14th seed Karen Khachanov.
