Alcaraz tops Fonseca at Miami Invitational as Busquets, Alba, Ronaldo watch
Newly retired Inter Miami stars Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, fresh off their MLS Cup championship game, looked relaxed as they sat courtside for a night of tennis at loanDepot Park on Monday.
The Spanish legends were there to see the Miami Invitational, an exhibition that included world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain against No. 24 Joao Fonseca of Brazil and an All-American women’s match between No. 4 Amanda Anisimova and No. 6 Jessica Pegula. In between, there was a mixed doubles match between Pegula-Alcaraz and Anisimova-Fonseca.
Alcaraz was at Chase Stadium for Inter Miami’s Eastern Conference Final game two weeks ago and was happy to see Busquets and Alba in the stands along with a spirited crowd of 14,108 for his match on Monday.
Although he is a lifelong Real Madrid fan, Alcaraz admires the former FC Barcelona greats.
“It was a pleasure for me to see them play the penultimate game of their careers, a marvelous experience and I’m very happy for them to have won the MLS,” Alcaraz said before the match. “At the end, [David] Beckham, Messi, Jordi, Busi, I was so happy for them. They deserve it. And now, knowing they are here for my match is inspiring.
“Yes, I am a fan of Real Madrid, but I have the upmost respect for those two for what they’ve done for their clubs, their national teams, the way they played, they are among the best in history, and you have to admire them.
Retired Brazilian star Ronaldo was also courtside and met with both players before the match, which went to a tiebreaker.
Alcaraz took the first set 7-5, Fonseca won the second 6-2 and Alcaraz won the tiebreaker 10-8.
All the players used Monday’s exhibition to start sharpening their skills after some down time following the 2025 season.
Alcaraz, Pegula and Anisimova also took part in the exhibition A Racquet at The Rock in New Jersey on Sunday, where he played (and lost) against Frances Tiafoe, and played mixed doubles with Pegula.
The Spaniard finished the year atop the rankings after winning the French Open and U.S. Open. He had a 71-9 record and went 24-2 in Grand Slam matches.
“Joao entered the tour with a lot of force, he has a great game, and it should be a very entertaining match,” Alcaraz said. “This is my first time playing in a baseball stadium or even being in a baseball stadium. It’s incredible to play here and help bring tennis to new places and new people.”
Fonseca, who made his big breakthrough at the 2025 Miami Open, had a lot of Brazilian fans in the stands wearing bright yellow and waving Brazilian flags. When he broke Alcaraz to tie the first set with a cross-court winner, his fans went wild.
“For me, it’s crazy,” Fonseca said. “I was here three weeks ago and there was nothing set up yet and I was like, `How are you going to put a court here?’ I’ve never watched a baseball match ever, so maybe in the future I will. The Brazilian fans in Miami are coming for sure, so it will be fun.”
Anisimova won the women’s match 6-2, 7-5. Pegula and Alcaraz won the mixed doubles match 10-8.
Pegula was playing in a baseball stadium for the first time on Monday, a night after playing at the New Jersey Devils’ home rink at the Prudential Center in New Jersey.
“I think we’re the first tennis players ever to play in a baseball stadium, so pretty cool,” Pegula said.
She said she is using exhibition matches to shake off the rust before starting the 2026 season.
“It gets you excited to start competing again,” she said. “We’re all coming off a little bit of a break, so playing exhibitions, you’re not playing for [ranking] points but it gets you in that competitive mindset and scratches that itch of getting in front of fans and feeling them cheer for you.”
Pegula added that these types of events allow her to connect with her fans.
“It’s nice to embrace all the fans in a much, much less stressful environment, where you don’t feel like there’s that crazy pressure to win or perform,” she said. “It’s more to entertain and have fun and bring tennis to a different experience.”
This story was originally published December 8, 2025 at 10:49 PM.