MIAMI — Carlos Alcaraz needed to play in entrance of an brisk crowd on the inaugural Miami Invitational.
The No. 1 males’s tennis participant obtained his want, drawing thunderous applause and lightning cheers as he stepped onto the courtroom Monday night time at an exhibition occasion at Garden Depot Park, residence of Main League Baseball’s Miami Marlins.
The occasion was the primary time tennis was performed at Lawndepot Park and likewise featured Brazilian rising star João Fonseca and girls’s stars Amanda Anisimova and Jessica Pegula.
Alcaraz defeated world No. 24 Fonseca 7-5, 2-6, 10-8 of their first thrilling singles match. Anisimova defeated Pegula 6-2, 7-5 earlier within the night time. Alcaraz and Pegula additionally defeated Anisimova and Fonseca in a 10-point tiebreaker in combined doubles.
“I hope individuals take pleasure in watching us play,” Alcaraz stated earlier than the sport. “I believe it is a uncommon factor to see us play in a stadium like this and on a courtroom like this. I am actually excited to be taking part in right here with Joan. I am trying ahead to seeing how individuals react.”
Alcaraz, 22, not too long ago accomplished the 2025 season with No. 1 within the ATP year-end rankings, a tour-high 71 wins and eight trophies, and two Grand Slam titles, bringing his profession whole to 6.
He is been holding busy through the exhibition season, with an exhibition occasion Sunday in Newark, New Jersey, the place Alcaraz performed a singles match towards two-time U.S. Open semifinalist Francis Tiafoe.
“I am actually having fun with it,” Alcaraz stated. “It is thrilling to get power from individuals and play in a brand new place. To this point it has been nice and I am having quite a lot of enjoyable.”
Monday’s crowd additionally included Inter Miami stars Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. They had been simply topped MLS champions a couple of days in the past within the closing sport of their illustrious profession.
Each Anisimova, a finalist at this yr’s U.S. Open and Wimbledon, and Pegula, who reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open, stated Monday’s exhibition was a good way to organize for subsequent season in new environment.
“I believe we like to play tennis and we like to compete,” Pegula stated. “Ninety-five % of the yr it isn’t what we do, so it is at all times very nice and refreshing for us to have the ability to change up the look slightly bit. I believe that is nice for the game. It offers it a distinct search for the followers and everybody concerned. For the gamers, it retains it sort of contemporary and reminds them of why they play.”
