Miami Open: De Minaur outlasts Fonseca in a thriller

Alex de Minaur has rebounded from a break down in the third set to end the Miami Open run of Brazilian prodigy Joao Fonseca, and joins fellow Aussie Adam Walton in the fourth round.

Miami, FL, United States, 25 March 2025 | AAP / Tennis Australia

Alex de Minaur has booked his spot in the fourth round of the Miami Open after a thrilling come-from-behind win over Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca.

The Australian 10th seed triumphed 5-7 7-5 6-3 in two hours 33 minutes, in what was the first meeting between the pair.

De Minaur had not won three matches in succession since reaching the Rotterdam final in early February, where he fell in three sets to Carlos Alcaraz.

World No.60 Fonseca, 18, is an unbelievable 27-5 in his last 32 matches – a run which includes four titles – but it’s De Minaur who will next face 29th-seeded Italian Matteo Berrettini.

“It was a hell of a battle. I knew coming in what to expect; not only he an incredubly talented, dangerous, explosive player, but he’s playing with so much confidence at the moment, and the crowd, they’re behind him,” De Minaur said of the stadium court showdown, where the atmosphere was boosted by vociforous Brazilian fan support.

“You can go out there, you can complain, you can get rattled, you can do a lot of different things, but that’s not going to help you win the tennis match. So ultimately that’s what I told myself; it’s gonna be a battle, not only against a player, against the crowd, [so] just put your head down, do your work and try to compete every single point.

“I knew I was going to be up against it, and it was gonna take every single ounce of me… so very happy with that win.”

Already trailing a set, De Minaur was forced to save a break point in the seventh game in the second set, and two more in the ninth game, which had Fonseca converted would have seen him serving for a straight-sets win.

The Australian then recovered from 0-2 down in the final set, reeling off six of the last seven games to prevail.

“Early he pulled off some great backhands… that forehand is so dangerous. But I think what I did really well in the second set was just try to exploit that forehand side a little bit more; try to get him running, make it a little bit more physical,” De Minaur explained.

“Obviously I know he’s still young, played a lot of matches in a row, so I knew if I could make this match physical, then I had higher chances for it to go my way.

Ealier on Monday, ‘lucky loser’ Adam Walton celebrated securing his last-16 place at the Masters 1000 event.

MIAMI MIRACLE: Walton continues Cinderella story

“I’m very happy right now, it’s just very good fortune this week,” Walton said after only his sixth tour-level victory.

“Wins have been hard for me on the Tour. I’ve done well at the Challenger level but playing these big tournaments is obviously very rewarding, especially if you can win matches, because they offer the biggest prize money.”

Earlier, Australian No.3 Jordan Thompson couldn’t capitalise on a fast start and succumbed 7-5 6-4 to top seed Alexander Zverev of Germany.

The Sydneysider raced into a 4-1 lead but Zverev reeled him back in, winning five games on the trot to take the first set and control of the second, before running out a winner in 90 minutes.

“Jordan made it difficult for me for sure, he’s a quality player,” Zverev said. “When you’re in rhythm, he knows how to break it a little bit, so he did extremely well today.”

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