Fonseca beats Tien in a thriller to progress on debut at Miami Open

Joao Fonseca made an electric debut at the Miami Open on Thursday when he powered past Learner Tien 6-7(1), 3-6, 6-4 in a thrilling opening-round clash.

Fonseca and Tien showcased their contrasting styles and battled through dramatic momentum swings at Hard Rock Stadium, which resembled a home crowd for the Brazilian. Fonseca’s fans proudly waved their Brazilian flags and chanted his name as he rallied to a physical two-hour, 23-minute victory.

“I knew it was going to be a difficult match. I knew Learner was going to fight until the end, he’s a great fighter. He knows how to play, he’s very smart. So I needed to go until the end and I just went to it hard and the Brazilian crowd was with me today,” said Fonseca, who signed the camera lens, ‘Am I in Brazil?’

“I always try to be aggressive with my forehand. When I was younger, I went to my forehand when the important points came and it’d go directly to the fence,” Fonseca said with a laugh. “Now I’m working a little bit more to be aggressive and solid at the same time. In the important points, I go with my forehand where I have confidence. Very happy and proud of myself the way I put in the hard work on court.”

Fonseca arrived in Miami at a career-high No. 60 in the PIF ATP Rankings following a title run at the ATP Challenger Tour 175 event in Phoenix. Boasting a 21-4 season record across all levels, highlighted by his first tour-level title in Buenos Aires, Fonseca will next meet 19th seed Ugo Humbert, who last month won his seventh tour-level crown in Marseille.

In other action, fellow #NextGenATP player Jakub Mensik overcame Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 after hammering 23 aces and winning 84 per cent of his first-serve points.

Italians Lorenzo Sonego, Matteo Arnaldi and Luciano Darderi all advanced. Sonego, 29, ousted Mariano Navone 7-5, 7-5 to set a second-round clash with third seed Taylor Fritz. Arnaldi overcame Wu Yibing 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3 while Darderi raced past Pedro Martinez 6-4, 6-1.

Wild card Coleman Wong defeated German Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 6-3. The Hong Kong native will next face 13th seed Ben Shelton. Roman Safiullin was a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 winner against Jenson Brooksby.