1000 ATP Miami Open
Tournament director confirms Joao Fonseca will play on Miami’s main Stadium
Fonseca will be staged on Miami’s main Stadium; a second-round meeting with Alcaraz could follow….
Joao Fonseca is guaranteed a spot on Miami’s largest court this week after a scheduling lesson from tournament director James Blake. Speaking to CoCo Vandeweghe and Steve Weissman, Blake laughed when asked about staging rising players like Brazil’s 19-year-old Fonseca and 20-year-old Alex Eala on the event’s biggest stage. “Harkening back to last year, when I learned my lesson: Fonseca needs to be on Stadium,” Blake responded, laughing. But he also made it clear: “He will be, yes.”
Fonseca played all his matches on Stadium during last year’s run to the third round, but a second-round match originally scheduled for Grandstand was moved at the last minute to the main court after a retirement opened a gap in the schedule. The change required a ticket upgrade and drew loud boos from Brazilian fans waiting on Grandstand; the announcement forced a pause in the ongoing match between Jack Draper and Jakub Mensik to restore order.
Blake said the pair of young internationals carry strong global followings and deserve center-court billing. “I think the international interest in both of them is so high,” tournament director Blake said of Fonseca and Eala. “And Miami being sort of a cultural melting pot with so much international flavor here… I think we’re going to need them to be on center court, because they have so many fans worldwide.
“These might feel like home matches, for both of them.”
Fonseca, who reached the fourth round in Indian Wells and is 4-4 on the season, said he enjoys playing in Miami. “I like the city, I like to play here, I like the humidity. It’s a little bit closer to how it is in Brazil, so yeah I like playing here,” Fonseca said. “Last year, it was more kind of a ‘test’ (for me). It was crowded, it was loud, a little bit of the Miami vibe. It’s so great for the tournament. And it’s also great for me, as well. I like playing with the crowd, so the support is just amazing.”
Fonseca faces Fabian Marozsan in the first round. If he advances, a second-round meeting with world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz awaits. Alcaraz is 16-1 to start the season after winning the Australian Open, lifting the trophy in Doha and reaching the semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open. The two met previously in an exhibition before 14,000 fans at LoanDepot Park last December.
1000 ATP Miami Open
How to follow the 2026 Miami Open: schedule, streaming and storylines
Sabalenka defends her Miami crown as Sinner returns, both chasing the Sunshine Double. Watch on app.
Indian Wells is behind us, but tennis stops for no one. Not even BNP Paribas Open champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner, who are aiming for the elusive Sunshine Double in Miami. No WTA player has won both hard-court tournaments in the same season since 2022 (Iga Swiatek), and no ATP player has won it since 2017 (Roger Federer).
Both contenders arrive with strong cases. Sabalenka is the defending champion and carries 1000 ranking points on the line. Sinner is returning to Hard Rock Stadium after missing the event in 2025; in 2024, he won it all.
Stream live matches and full replays on the official app. Matches begin Tuesday, March 17 (WTA first round), and go all the way through Sunday, March 15 (ATP final). The app includes live coverage and a secondary channel that carries select matches and replays across a range of streaming services and platforms. You can also access the live linear broadcast with a cable or satellite provider.
Visit our How to Watch page for links to download, plus options, providers and additional information. For a limited time only, subscribe for $77/year. (New customers only.)
All times ET. All listings are on the official network and app, unless noted. All listings are for singles matches, unless noted.
Most players who competed in Indian Wells are heading to Miami for another shot at a 1000-level title. There are some exceptions, most notably Novak Djokovic, who has withdrawn with a right shoulder injury.
1000 BNP Paribas Open BNP Paribas Open WTA
Alexandra Eala Reaches Career-High No. 29 After Indian Wells Run
Alexandra Eala climbs to a career-high No. 29 after reaching the fourth round at Indian Wells today.
Alexandra Eala continued a steady climb up the WTA rankings this week, moving from No. 32 to a career-high No. 29 after advancing to the fourth round at Indian Wells.
The 20-year-old cemented more history for Philippine tennis. Almost a year ago she became the first player from the Philippines to reach the WTA Top 100 following her breakthrough run to the semifinals in Miami. Since then she has advanced into the Top 50 late last year, entered the Top 40 earlier this season and reached No. 31 a few weeks ago.
Eala’s results over the past year show growing consistency at WTA level. This stretch includes six appearances at WTA events that ended in a quarterfinal or better: one final (Eastbourne last year), two semifinals (Miami last year and Auckland this year) and three quarterfinals (Sao Paulo last year and Abu Dhabi and Dubai this year). She has also collected her first seven wins over Top 30 players in the last year, including her first four Top 10 victories. A year ago on this day she was ranked No. 140.
Other movement on the WTA list came after Indian Wells. Elena Rybakina rose from No. 3 to a new career-high of No. 2 following her run to the final; she had already clinched that rise by reaching the semifinals. Victoria Mboko moved from No. 10 to a new high of No. 9 after reaching the quarterfinals in her tournament debut. Cristina Bucsa climbed one spot to No. 30 for her Top 30 debut after having soared to No. 31 two weeks earlier following a WTA 500 title in Merida, Mexico.
The tournament produced another breakthrough in Talia Gibson, who made her Top 100 debut, jumping from No. 112 to No. 68 after reaching her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal and her first WTA quarterfinal overall. Gibson had never beaten a Top 50 player before the event but defeated four en route to the final eight, including her first Top 10 win against Jasmine Paolini.
On the ATP side, Daniil Medvedev returned to the Top 10, moving from No. 11 to No. 10 after reaching the Indian Wells final. Luciano Darderi rose from No. 21 to No. 18 for his Top 20 debut, creating four Italians inside the ATP Top 20 alongside No. 2 Jannik Sinner, No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti and No. 14 Flavio Cobolli.
1000 ATP BNP Paribas Open
Sabalenka and Sinner Finally Conquer Indian Wells With Tough Sunday Wins
Sabalenka and Sinner ended their Indian Wells droughts, each winning title after Aussie losses. 2026
Both Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner entered Indian Wells with something missing from their resumes: a title in the desert and a first trophy of 2026. Each arrived under scrutiny after painful losses in Melbourne and left with answers.
Sabalenka had been No. 1 for 81 weeks and sat far ahead in the rankings, but a string of final-round setbacks had lingered after the Australian Open loss to Elena Rybakina. The situation was similar for Sinner, who had been ranked one or two since mid-2024 and had come through Melbourne with his own tough moments. “I’m so done losing these big finals. Aryna Sabalenka”
Both players praised Indian Wells on arrival. Sabalenka said she was “super happy to be back in Tennis Paradise, it’s super beautiful.” Sinner called it a “special place,” and said his “preparation is going really well.” The faster courts suited their aggressive games; neither dropped a set on the run to the final, and both sounded determined to take the trophy. “I want to make sure that I get it, I get the trophy,” Sabalenka said. “You know, I’m so done losing these big finals.” “We tried to come here very early,” Sinner said. “I knew that this was a tournament I haven’t won, so I wanted to come here and prepare it in the best possible way, as professional as possible.”
Sabalenka needed that resolve in a three-hour final with Rybakina. She fought back from an early break and a set down, found momentum after a smashed racquet, and closed the decider in a tiebreak with a final unreturnable serve. “I’m super happy that in those last three points of the match, I was able to pull out really great tennis and get the win,” Sabalenka said. “With so many finals that I’ve lost, they also teach me a lot of things that basically the game is never done till it’s done,” she added. “So if it’s a match point, you still have a chance to get back into the game.”
Sinner endured blistering heat — temperatures near 97 — in a tight match with Daniil Medvedev. The two played without a break for two hours and 24 games, and Sinner edged both tiebreaks. “Well done,” said his impressed coach, Darren Cahill, before Sinner closed the set with a service winner. “It feels amazing,” Sinner said. “Great achievement.” “I felt very well prepared, so I was not having big issues with the weather and with the heat, which is very positive for me. But look, it’s all part of the process we are trying to do and becoming the best possible athlete.”
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