Alex de Minaur shows mental edge to end Joao Fonseca’s challenge, Zverev marches on in Miami

MIAMI GARDENS – Australia’s Alex de Minaur put an end to Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca’s challenge at the Miami Open, outlasting the 18-year-old 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in an enthralling contest on March 24.

Attendance on stadium court had been sparse throughout the day, but the Hard Rock Stadium turned into a mini-Maracana Stadium for Fonseca’s match, complete with Brazilian flags and football-style chanting.

Fonseca brought his energetic brand of ultra-attacking tennis, but de Minaur was up to the challenge, as the 26-year-old coped with both the blistering forehands and the partisan crowd.

Such was the dominance of Fonseca’s raucous support that the referee switched to Portuguese for his appeals for quiet.

But de Minaur won six of the final seven games to move into the fourth round, keeping his cool even when the crowd, at times, disrupted his serve preparation.

“Mentally I was ready for this match,” said de Minaur, who will face Matteo Berrettini for a place in the quarter-finals.

“I knew I was not only going to play an incredible talent like Joao, playing with immense confidence and nothing to lose, but also an incredible crowd that was on his side from the first point until the last.

“One of my biggest strengths is my mentality and that is what got me the win today.”

Top seed Alexander Zverev recovered from a slow start to power into the fourth round with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Australia’s Jordan Thompson.

The German was 4-1 down in the first set but then went on a roll, winning eight of the next nine games to progress.

Zverev lost in the opening round at Indian Wells but, with Carlos Alcaraz already out in Miami, he will fancy his chances of adding to his list of seven Masters 1000 titles.

He will meet Arthur Fils for a place in the last eight. The 20-year-old Frenchman won the final five games to beat Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (13-11), 5-7, 6-2.

After letting slip two match points in the second set, the world No. 18 rallied from a break down at 1-2 in the decider by changing tack. He tried for winners as soon as he could against his 27-year-old American rival, who is just one rung above him in the world rankings.

“It was very tough. When I got into the third set, I was cramping and I couldn’t find the rhythm any more,” said Fils. “My serve was tough and I couldn’t jump, so I tried to relax and play as fast as I could and hit as strong as I could. Somehow it worked.

“It’s not going to work every day, that’s for sure. Maybe once or twice out of 10 it’s going to work, and today it worked. I’m very happy about it, but Frances is a hell of a champion. It’s the first time we have played, and I hope we are going to have many more great battles.”

With his win, Fils has also become the first Frenchman to reach the fourth round of both Indian Wells and Miami in the same season since Jeremy Chardy in 2018.

Third seed Taylor Fritz also moved into the fourth round beating Canada’s Denis Shapovalov 7-5, 6-3 to avenge his loss in Dallas in February.

The American let slip a 5-2 lead in the first set but regained control, with his serve proving too much for Shapovalov.

“If we went through that match 10 times, I feel like I would win it more times than I would lose it,” Fritz said of their round-of-16 meeting in Dallas.

“In that match he served really well. Today, I probably returned a little bit better, but I got more help from him as well. He threw in some double (faults) and overall I played well.” AFP