A precociously talented duo and last year's Next Gen ATP Finals finalists, Joao Fonseca and Learner Tien, go head-to-head in the first round of the Miami Open on Thursday, vying for a second-round match against Frenchman Ugo Humbert.
Fonseca has had an incredible 2025, claiming an ATP 250, a Challenger 175 and a Challenger 125 trophy in the same season, while Tien has impressively notched two top-10 victories against Daniil Medvedev in Australia and Alexander Zverev in Acapulco.
Match preview
Thursday in Miami promises to be an exciting spectacle as two future stars of the sport clash in the opening round, with Fonseca entering the match as the favourite to maintain his promising form in 2025.
The previous season concluded with the Brazilian defeating Tien to secure the Next Gen Finals title, and the 18-year-old has since added his maiden ATP Tour crown, along with two Challenger titles, bringing his total to three, thus mirroring Juan Martin del Potro's achievement as the second-youngest player from South America to clinch three Challenger victories.
Fonseca's most recent Challenger triumph in Arizona followed a second-round exit at Indian Wells, where he was defeated by eventual champion Jack Draper, who sent the teenager home during his debut at the Masters 1000 event.
Unfazed by that loss, the Buenos Aires champion overcame Pavel Kotov, Jan-Lennard Struff, Hugo Gaston, veteran Kei Nishikori and Alexander Bublik to prevail in the Phoenix event, improving his record to 20-4 for the season.
Entering the second Masters tournament with a 7-4 record in tour-level events, Fonseca aims for his 21st victory of the season and eighth in ATP contests, looking to advance to a second-round match against 19th seed Humbert.
That challenge will be far from straightforward against Tien, who makes his Miami debut this season after losing to Struff in qualifying a year ago.
The 19-year-old, who started this season outside the top 100, faces Fonseca as the No. 66 in the world, after achieving impressive victories in 2025, including wins over Medvedev in the opening Grand Slam of the year and Zverev in Acapulco last month.
Although Tien was edged out by Tomas Machac in the quarter-finals, his two wins over top-10 players in the initial months of the year have showcased the American teenager's talent on the men's tour.
The 19-year-old now hopes for a positive run in Miami after being defeated by Mariano Navone a fortnight ago in Indian Wells.
That recent loss means the American arrives at the second Masters event of the season on a two-match losing streak, which he hopes to break by triumphing over Fonseca to achieve his 12th win this year and seventh in main draws.
Head To Head
Next Gen ATP Finals (2024) - Final: Fonseca 2-4 4-3(8) 4-0 4-2
Next Gen ATP Finals (2024) - Round Robin: Fonseca 4-0 4-0 1-4 4-2
Though both players met twice at the 2024 Next Gen Finals, Thursday's encounter will mark their first meeting on the ATP Tour.
Fonseca secured victories in the 2024 matches, including the final in Jeddah, where he became the lowest-ranked champion (then No. 145) in the history of the competition.
Considering main-draw matches this year, Tien enters their imminent meeting with a 6-5 record for the season, trailing world No. 60 Fonseca (7-4) ahead of their clash in Florida.
Fonseca has experienced losses in tour-level encounters against left-handed players this season — succumbing to Draper at Indian Wells and Humbert during Davis Cup action — although the 18-year-old triumphed over Gaston en route to last week's Challenger title in Arizona and twice defeated Tien in Jeddah.
We say: Fonseca to win in three sets
It is unfortunate that these two future stars clash so early in Miami, potentially denying one debutant the opportunity for a deep run at this Masters event.
While Tien will be eager to break his losing streak against Fonseca, we predict that the Brazilian will narrowly edge out the American on home ground, achieving his eighth tour-level victory this season and 21st overall.
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