At the Next Gen ATP Finals last December, Joao Fonseca and Learner Tien provided us a preview of a potential future rivalry. On Thursday evening at the Miami Open presented by Itau, the two teens graduated to the big leagues as they brought down the house inside Hard Rock Stadium.
With some help from the passionate Latin American fan base filling out the stands, Fonseca—fresh off winning the Phoenix Challenger—battled through a disappointing opening tiebreaker and illness late in the match to edge out the American, 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-4. A second-round clash with 19th-seeded Ugo Humbert now awaits.
"I'm very grateful for the Brazilian fans who came here and cheered my name and were being so loud," he told press afterward. "It really means a lot, and it helped me a lot to win this match. I knew it was going to be very difficult against Learner, a great guy and a solid, smart player."
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