Joao Fonseca (BRA) celebrates after his match against Learner Tien (USA) on day three of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Fans in Miami get peek at future of tennis

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Mar 21, 2025 9:28 AM ET

The future of men's tennis was showcased Thursday when Joao Fonseca and Learner Tien clashed in the first round of the Miami Open. Since the pair of teenagers upset top-seeded players at the Australian Open, they've been widely earmarked as future superstars.

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray was among the many who hyped the match on social media, hailing them as "amazing talents" as he watched them battle in sunny South Florida. Tien would clinch the first set, but Fonseca would ultimately win the match in three sets, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, to set up a second-round clash against World No. 20 Ugo Humbert.

While the match was held in Miami, American Lien was in hostile territory. The crowd was firmly behind Fonseca, with scores of Brazilians pouring into the Hard Rock Stadium and loudly chanting his name as he rallied to victory in two hours and 23 minutes. It was the latest instance of Fonseca drawing massive crowds — a vast entourage of Brazilians followed him to Phoenix, Arizona, last week, where he won a Challenger tournament.

Miami or Brazil?

João Fonseca wins an ELECTRIC first round pic.twitter.com/ZOEv46peQU
— Miami Open (@MiamiOpen) March 21, 2025

"Am I in Brazil?" Fonseca wrote on the camera lens after his victory, thanking the large contingent of Brazilians cheering for him.

João Fonseca signs the camera after beating Learner Tien to get first win in Miami:

“Am I in Brazil?”

pic.twitter.com/8YuN494hhi
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) March 21, 2025

After his hard-fought win, Fonseca praised Tien for pushing him to his limit.

"I knew it was going to be a difficult match," he said, via ATP Tour. "I knew Learner was going to fight until the end, he's a great fighter. He knows how to play, he's very smart. So I needed to go until the end and I just went to it hard and the Brazilian crowd was with me today."

According to OptaAce, the clash between Fonseca and Tien was the first time two teenagers faced each other at the Miami Open since 2016. The two youngsters also faced in the final of last year's NextGen ATP Finals. A decade from now, fans in Miami who witnessed Thursday's clash will likely say, 'Remember when we saw those two as teenagers?' Both have the talent to dominate the sport in the coming years.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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