Round two of the Miami Masters is headlined by a must-watch showdown between Carlos Alcaraz and Joao Fonseca on Friday. Casper Ruud is kicking off his fortnight against a red-hot Ethan Quinn.
(1) Carlos Alcaraz vs. Joao Fonseca
It will be the first-ever meeting between Alcaraz and Fonseca when two of the tour’s marquee attractions 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 for this way-too-early second-round contest. With Fonseca ranked 39th, he remains at the mercy of draws at these big events — and he certainly got a terrible one in the second leg of the Sunshine Double. Fortunately for the 19-year-old, at this rate he won’t be unseeded for long. He reached the fourth round in 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 because Alcaraz lost to Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(3) in the semis. Still, the top-ranked Spaniard is in great form. He had previously been undefeated in 2026 with titles at the Australian Open and Doha ATP 500. Although Alcaraz should advance on Friday, a March Madness-sized upset is not out of the question. Fonseca is obviously the most dangerous unseeded player in the field, plus he already has a match under his belt (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 Miami matches dating back to 2023.
Pick: Alcaraz in 3
(11) Casper Ruud vs. Ethan Quinn
Quinn is on a serious hot streak right now, one that has carried him to a career-high ranking of No. 56. The 22-year-old American reached the third round of the Australian Open and won arguably the tour’s best Challenger tournament last week in Phoenix. Showing no signs of slowing down, Quinn hammered Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday.
Up next for the former NCAA singles champion is a first-ever meeting with Ruud, who is off to a relatively slow start in 2026. However, he at least managed to produce fourth-round results at both the Australian Open and Indian Wells Masters. The 12th-ranked Norwegian has played well in Miami, where he finished runner-up to Alcaraz in 2022 and has reached the last 16 in back-to-back appearances. Given that mental and physical fatigue could be a factor for Quinn, Ruud’s success in South Beach should continue.
Pick: Ruud in 3