Alex De Minaur Ends Joao Fonseca Challenge, Alexander Zverev Marches On In Miami Open
NDTV
Joao Fonseca brought his energetic brand of ultra-attacking tennis, but Alex De Minaur was up to the challenge, coping with both the blistering forehands and the partisan crowd.
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. Attendance on stadium court had been sparse throughout Monday, 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, coping 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, 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," de Minaur said.
"One of my biggest strengths is my mentality and that is what got me the win today," he added.
Top seed Alexander Zverev recovered from a slow start to power into the fourth round of the Miami Open with a 7-5, 6-4 win against Australia's Jordan Thompson.
