Joao Fonseca left in disbelief seeing ‘loud’ Brazilian crowd rally behind him in first Masters win of his career at Miami

Joao Fonseca came down from a set and overcame bouts of dizziness to defeat Learner Tien at the Miami Open.

Joao Fonseca left in disbelief seeing ‘loud’ Brazilian crowd rally behind him in first Masters win of his career at Miami

Joao Fonseca was left in disbelief (images via Tennis TV and ATP)

Joao Fonseca had a dazzling first-round victory in his debut Miami campaign, turning his opponent Learner Tien‘s home crowd Brazilian. He even aptly ended up penning “Am I in Brazil?” on the camera lens, basking in the crowd’s immense support and love for him.

Coming down from a set that led to a tiebreak, Fonseca was leading 3-2 in the decider with a break advantage when he stood up from the changeover and unexpectedly called the doctor. He told the chair umpire that he felt bouts of dizziness and needed to vomit.

YouTube video

Fonseca took pills from the doctor, and following a six-minute medical timeout, he continued the match without any apparent signs of illness apart from a small cramp just two points from the win. The 18-year-old struck 43 winners, including 27 from his lethal forehand, to win 6(1)-7(7), 6-3, 6-4.

FS Video

Fonseca will face 19th seed Ugo Humbert in the next round. While Fonseca has shown his prowess winning the Argentina Open, an ATP 250 tournament, and the Challenger Phoenix, he has faced early exits in higher events like the Australian Open and Indian Wells Open.

Andy Murray heaps praise on Joao Fonseca and Learner Tien

Andy Murray also shared his excitement about this thrilling match on X. He called the two young players “amazing talents” and remarked that “tennis isn’t broken after all”.

Andy Murray Novak Djokovic Miami Open 2025
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic at Miami Open 2025 (image via X @Tsobertenis)

Murray is coaching Novak Djokovic, who is returning to the Miami Open after 6 years. Djokovic holds a record of 6 titles in this tournament along with Andre Agassi. The Serb will play Rinky Hijikata in his opening round match at Miami this year.

Joao Fonseca defeated Learner Tien in the NextGen ATP Finals

With this victory against Learner Tien, Joao Fonseca leads their head-to-head 3-0. They last met in December 2024 in the NextGen ATP Finals. Fonseca, who was the youngest player in the event and lowest ranked, overcame Tien in the finals in Jeddah.

Only Jannik Sinner, in 2019, has lifted this title at a younger age than Fonseca. Fonseca calls Roger Federer, along with Sinner, his inspiration. The Brazilian won all five of his matches at the season-ending tournament for the top-ranked male players aged 21 and under.

Joao Fonseca NextGen ATP Finals 2024
Joao Fonseca (via Instagram @joaffonseca)

Fonseca commenced his 2025 season by lifting his second Challenger title at the 2025 Canberra Tennis International, defeating Ethan Quinn in the final. He qualified for the Australian Open to make his Grand Slam debut.

He stunned the tennis world, defeating ninth seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets in his first major main draw match, securing his first top 10 victory. Shortly after the Australian Open, Fonseca made his Top 100 debut at No. 99.

He lifted his maiden tour-level title with a straight-sets win over Francisco Cerundolo at the Argentina Open. After that campaign, Fonseca came back to his hometown event at the Rio Open, where he faced an opening round exit. Fonseca received a wild card to the Indian Wells tournament and lost in the second to eventual champion Jack Draper.