The second round of the Miami Masters was headlined by a must-watch match between Carlos Alcaraz and Joao Fonseca on Friday. Casper Ruud kicks off a fortnight against hotshot Ethan Quinn.
(1) Carlos Alcaraz vs. João Fonseca
It will be the first meeting between Alcaraz and Fonseca when the tour’s two marquee teams collide in what will be an electric atmosphere at the Miami Open on Friday. Twelve months ago, Fonseca’s Brazilian fans made this tournament feel more like Rio de Janeiro than Miami – and you can be sure it will be the same story in this very early second round tournament. With Fonseca ranked 39th, he’s always at the mercy of a draw in these major events – and he certainly got a bad one in the second leg of the Sunshine Double. Fortunately, this 19-year-old child, at this rate, will not last long without cultivation. He reached the fourth round at Indian Wells with wins over Karen Khachanov and Tommy Paul before falling to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in two tiebreakers.
There was no Sinner-Alcaraz final in the desert as Alcaraz lost to Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(3) in the semis. Nevertheless, the top-class Spaniard is in good form. He was previously undefeated in 2026 with titles at the Australian Open and the Doha ATP 500. Although Alcaraz should advance on Friday, a March Madness upset is not out of the question. Fonseca is clearly the most dangerous undrafted player, and he already has a game under his belt (he beat Fabian Marozsan 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 on Thursday). It’s also worth noting that Alcaraz is just 3-3 in his last six games for Miami dating back to 2023.
Pick: Alcaraz at 3
(11) Casper Ruud vs. Ethan Quinn
Quinn is on a hot streak right now, putting him at a career-high No. 56. The 22-year-old American reached the third round of the Australian Open and arguably won the tour’s premier Challenger tournament last week in Phoenix. Showing no signs of slowing down, Quinn beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday.
Next up for the former NCAA singles champion is a first-ever meeting with Ruud, which will begin tentatively in 2026. However, he managed to produce fourth round results at the Australian Open and the Indian Wells Masters. The 12th-ranked Norwegian played well in Miami, where he finished second to Alcaraz in 2022 and reached the last 16 with back-to-back appearances. Given that mental and physical fatigue may be Quinn’s characteristic, Ruud’s success in South Beach should continue.
Pick: Ruud at 3
