Draw released: Alcaraz vs.Fonseca, the potential second round blockbuster of the Miami Open
The Spaniard is the man to beat in the top half, and if Fonseca gets past Marozsan, he may face his sternest early test before the serious rounds have even started.
Carlos Alcaraz, Indian Wells 2026 | © Zuma / PsNewz
Carlos Alcaraz, seeded No. 1, could face Brazilian teenager João Fonseca in the second round of the Miami Open — but only if Fonseca first defeats Hungarian Fabian Marozsan in their first-round encounter. That is the most exciting outcome of the draw, which has just been released.
Should the 18-year-old get past Marozsan, the meeting with the world No. 1 on a primetime hard court in Miami would rank among the most anticipated second-round matches in recent Masters 1000 history. Fonseca has announced himself in unmistakable fashion by playing a wonderful match against Jannik Sinner in Indian Wells (7-6, 7-6), and a win over Marozsan would be the prerequisite that earns him the biggest stage of his young career.
The Miami Open presented by Itau begins Wednesday at Hard Rock Stadium, running through March 29 in what stands as one of the ATP Tour’s defining hard-court events outside the four Grand Slams.
Beyond Fonseca, Alcaraz’s projected route to the semifinals is manageable — Korda (32) or Mpetshi Perricard lurk in the third round, and theoretically Khachanov (14) or Darderi (17) in the fourth. His projected semifinal opponent is Lorenzo Musetti (4), elevated to that position by Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal. Musetti must first navigate a quarterfinal against Taylor Fritz (6).
Sinner arrives as a man on a mission
Jannik Sinner, seeded No. 2, arrives in Miami as the defending Indian Wells champion, having claimed the title in the desert just days ago, and as the man who lifted this very trophy in 2024. Sinner opens against a qualifier or Damir Dzumhur, then is likely to face Corentin Moutet (30), or perhaps Tomas Machac, in the third round.
The fourth round could bring Andrey Rublev (15), Cameron Norrie (23) or Alejandro Tabilo. Rublev, one of the few to have defeated a prime Sinner on hard courts, arrives with his own motivations. A potential quarterfinal against Felix Auger-Aliassime (7) or Jakub Menšík (12), and a semifinal against Alexander Zverev (3) would then await — as high-stakes a last-four matchup as the draw could have produced.
Zverev’s road: Nakashima, then the big picture
Alexander Zverev, seeded No. 3, sits in the bottom half, setting up a possible semifinal rematch with Sinner, as in Indian Wells. The German opens with a bye, then faces the winner of Cilic and Popyrin, with Brandon Nakashima (27) the likely third-round opponent — whom he has just played in Indian Wells. Zverev’s projected quarterfinal is against Ben Shelton (8) or Daniil Medvedev (9).
Daniil Medvedev, seeded No. 9, and Ben Shelton, seeded No. 8, are bracketed to collide in the Round of 16, and it may be the tournament’s signature fixture outside the semifinals.
Medvedev, who has been in ominous form this swing, opens against a qualifier after his bye, then faces the winner of Kovacevic and wild card Sakamoto before a likely third-round meeting with Francisco Cerundolo (18). Shelton, meanwhile, must negotiate Arnaldi or Shevchenko, then Ugo Humbert (31), Diallo or Wu, before the Medvedev clash.
Menšík: the defending champion
Defending champion Jakub Menšík, seeded No. 12, drew the short straw. The Czech teenager, who stunned this field twelve months ago as a near-unknown, now carries a target on his back and a projected bracket that offers no mercy whatsoever.
Menšík opens against a qualifier or Sebastian Baez in the second round, then faces Frances Tiafoe (19) — a two-time finalist at the US Open who plays some of his best tennis in Florida with the home crowd roaring — or Arthur Cazaux in round three.
Survive that, and a fourth round against Felix Auger-Aliassime (7) awaits — a player of enormous talent who has been searching for a Masters breakthrough and would consider Miami a prime opportunity. Win that, and Sinner is the projected opponent in the semifinals. Back-to-back titles here would be a remarkable achievement for any player. For a 19-year-old, recently a semifinalist in Doha, facing a draw full of motivated opponents, it would border on extraordinary.
Tsitsipas: something to prove
Stefanos Tsitsipas arrives in Miami unseeded — a fact that would have been difficult to imagine two years ago, when the Greek was a fixture in the world’s top five and a genuine Grand Slam contender. He sits at the bottom of the top half, facing a qualifier in the first round before an encounter with Alex de Minaur (5) beckons — and, in case of a win, a chance to announce himself back among the names that matter.
The Masters 1000 tournament carries a total purse of $9.4 million, with the champion collecting $1.15 million and 1,000 ranking points. All eyes will be on a draw that promises fireworks from the opening round and sets up a final that the sport has come to know well.
MIAMI OPEN 2026, men’s singles MAIN DRAW
Alcaraz (1) — BYE
Marozsan — Fonseca
Mpetshi Perricard — Ugo Carabelli
BYE — Korda (32)
Darderi (17) — BYE
Giron — Qualifier/LL
Duckworth — Bautista Agut
BYE — Khachanov (14)
Ruud (11) — BYE
Quinn — Hurkacz
Kouamé (WC) — Qualifier/LL
BYE — Lehecka (21)
Draper (25) — BYE
Opelka — Borges
Shapovalov — Van de Zandschulp
BYE — Fritz (6)
Musetti (4) — BYE
Qualifier/LL — Qualifier/LL
Bergs — Brooksby
BYE — Etcheverry (29)
Paul (22) — BYE
Zhang (PR) — Mannarino
Collignon — Dimitrov
BYE — Cobolli (13)
Bublik (10) — BYE
Muller — Berrettini
Qualifier/LL — Navone
BYE — Vacherot (24)
Fils (28) — BYE
Blanch (WC) — Struff
Tsitsipas — Qualifier/LL
BYE — de Minaur (5)
Shelton (8) — BYE
Arnaldi — Shevchenko
Diallo — Wu (WC)
BYE — Humbert (31)
Cerundolo (18) — BYE
Royer — Qualifier/LL
Kovacevic — Sakamoto (WC)
BYE — Medvedev (9)
Davidovich Fokina (16) — BYE
Halys — Qualifier/LL
Majchrzak — Kecmanovic
BYE — Tien (20)
Nakashima (27) — BYE
Cilic — Popyrin
Damm (WC) — Fearnley
BYE — Zverev (3)
Auger-Aliassime (7) — BYE
Qualifier/LL – Fucsovics
Atmane — Altmaier
BYE — Rinderknech (26)
Tiafoe (19) — BYE
Cazaux — Qualifier/LL
Qualifier/LL — Baez
BYE — Menšík (12)
Rublev (15) — BYE
Tabilo — Comesana
Michelsen — Qualifier/LL
BYE — Norrie (23)
Moutet (30) — BYE
Nava — Machac
Qualifier/LL —Dzumhur
BYE — Sinner (2)
