Miami Open: Fonseca battles illness to prevail in tough campaign opener

18-year-old phenomenon defeats fellow teenager Learner Tien in three-set contest to enter second round

- AGENCIES

Joao Fonseca made an electric debut at the Miami Open and powered past Learner Tien 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-4 in a thrilling opening-round clash.

In the youngest main-draw match in Miami since 2016, when Alexander Zverev beat Michael Mmoh in a battle of 18-year-olds, Fonseca struck 43 winners to win the match in two hours and 23 minutes.

"I always try to be aggressive with my forehand. When I was younger, I went to my forehand when the important points came and it'd go directly to the fence. Now I'm working a little bit more to be aggressive and solid at the same time. In the important points, I go with my forehand where I have confidence. Very happy and proud of myself the way I put in the hard work on court," Fonseca said.

Leading 3-2 in the decider with a break advantage, Fonseca stood up from the changeover and unexpectedly called the doctor, telling chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani that he felt dizzy and needed to vomit.

Fonseca took pills from the doctor and following a six-minute break, he continued the match without any obvious signs of illness.

The late drama continued as Fonseca appeared to suffer from a small cramp just two points from the win.