Alex de Minaur will be hoping to improve upon his poor Miami Open record when he steps onto court this week.
Despite being the world number six, De Minaur has failed to make it past the Miami Open fourth round in six attempts.
This year, the Australian is seeded fifth and will face Stefanos Tsitsipas or Arthur Fery in the second round.
Will Alex de Minaur finish 2026 ranked inside the top five?
Last year, the ‘Demon’ reached the fourth round after defeating Bu Yunchaokete and Joao Fonseca.
Ahead of the 2026 Miami Open, event De Minaur reflected on his match with Fonseca, noting the incredible atmosphere inside the stadium.
Alex de Minaur says his Miami Open match against Joao Fonseca had ‘the most insane atmosphere’ of his career
Last year, Alex de Minaur and Joao Fonseca met in the Miami Open second round.
De Minaur had defeated Bu Yunchaokete, while 18-year-old Fonseca had knocked out fellow youngsters Learner Tien and Joao Fonseca.
After falling a set behind to Fonseca, De Minaur roared back to claim victory, defeating the Brazilian prodigy 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in the Floridian city.
A year later, De Minaur has reflected on the contest, describing the atmosphere as the ‘most insane’ of his career.
Speaking to Tennis TV ahead of the 2026 Miami Open, De Minaur said: “It was definitely memorable.
“It was by far the most insane atmosphere I’ve ever played in front of and it was a whole lot of fun to be a part of it and of course to be able to share the court with Joao.
“He is an incredible talent and a great guy. It was a very, very fun match. It kind of showed me how many Brazilians there are in Miami, that’s for sure.”
The Australian’s run in Miami ended in the very next round. De Minaur was defeated by 2021 Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini, 3-6, 6-7.
Jakub Mensik, an unseeded 19-year-old, went on to win the 2025 Miami Open, defeating Novak Djokovic 7-6, 7-6 in the final.
Could De Minaur and Fonseca play each other during the 2026 Miami Open?
It is unlikely that this situation will occur, purely due to the presence of Carlos Alcaraz.
While De Minaur awaits his second round opponent, Fonseca will be playing for the opportunity to face the world number one in the next round.
To do so, Fonseca must defeat Hungarian player Fabian Marozsan.
If Fonseca and Alcaraz were to play each other, it would be a fascinating match: Alcaraz is widely regarded as the best player on the planet in this current moment, while Fonseca is seen as the future of men’s tennis.
Joao Fonseca will be the man to unsettle Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s duopoly over men’s tennis – Prove us wrong!
Fonseca, now ranked 39th in the world, will play Marozsan later on Wednesday.
