MIAMI, March 20 (Reuters) - Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca said he was looking forward to playing Carlos Alcaraz for the first time as he prepares to meet the world number one at the Miami Open a week after pushing second-ranked Jannik Sinner hard at Indian Wells.
The 19-year-old, who delivered a 6-4 3-6 6-2 first-round victory over Fabian Marozsan in Miami on Thursday, burst onto the scene by winning the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals, a tournament that served as the launchpad for former champions Alcaraz and Sinner.
That duo have since gone on to capture 10 of the last 11 Grand Slams, and Fonseca said he was eager to see how he would fare against Alcaraz in Miami after losing 7-6(6) 7-6(4) to Sinner in the fourth round of Indian Wells.
"I'm excited for sure," Fonseca told reporters.
"I don't know about other players, but I look forward to playing against the top players. I played against Jannik last tournament, and now I'm playing against Carlos.
"It's a super experience, so I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a great match. Hopefully I can get the win."
Fonseca, who attracts supporters by the thousands at events, with the atmosphere often resembling soccer matches, is sure to enjoy plenty of vocal support against Alcaraz just like he did against Marozsan.
"The crowd really helped me to stay positive throughout the match," he said.
"I'm very happy with this win and hopefully I can continue playing like this during the tournament."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
