Friday features both first and second round singles action.
In the past five years, the Miami Open has been won by five different men, all of whom entered this year’s draw: Hubert Hurkacz, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, and Jakub Mensik. Sinner will be vying to complete the “Sunshine Double,” after claiming the title last week in Indian Wells, where he defeated Medvedev in the final. On Friday, Alcaraz plays his opening match, and it’s a highly-anticipated contest against Joao Fonseca, who enjoyed an overwhelming amount of support from Brazilian fans in Miami a year ago.
In the past five years, the Miami Open has been won by five different women, three of whom are not currently active (Ash Barty, Petra Kvitova, Danielle Collins), and one of whom was already eliminated on Thursday (Iga Swiatek). That leaves World No.1 and Indian Wells champion Aryna Sabalenka as the only recent champion in this year’s WTA singles draw. She plays her opening match on Friday, as does Indian Wells runner-up Elena Rybakina.
Here’s a rundown of the most notable matches on Friday (in chronological order, all times local):
Elisabetta Cocciaretto vs. Coco Gauff (4) – Not Before 1:00pm on Stadium Court
While Gauff is a Florida resident, she is surprisingly only 8-6 lifetime at her home state’s biggest event, having never advanced beyond the fourth round. Coco was forced to retire during her third round match in Indian Wells, after injuring her left arm during the match. She is 3-1 against Cocciaretto, though just last month in Doha, the 25-year-old Italian upset her 6-4, 6-2.
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Ann Li – Third on Stadium Court
Sabalenka is now 17-1 on the year, and has not lost a set during 2026 to anyone not named Elena Rybakina. A year ago in Miami, Aryna also won this title without the loss of a set. She is 2-0 against Li, who is a modest 5-7 this season.
Alexander Bublik (10) vs. Matteo Berrettini – Third on Butch Buchholz Court
Bublik is coming off a surprising loss in Indian Wells to Rinky Hijikata, in a match which saw Bublik demolish his racket in frustration. Berrettini was a quarterfinalist here a year ago, but in a career that has been plagued by injuries, that remains his best Masters 1000 result in nearly five years. Bublik won their only tour-level encounter in straights.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Alex de Minaur (5) – Fourth on Grandstand Court
De Minaur was another top 10 seed to suffer an early loss in Indian Wells, to former champion Cam Norrie. Tsitsipas is now ranked outside the world’s top 50, the lowest he’s been ranked since 2018. However, the Greek has dominated this rivalry in the past, with a record of 11-1 at tour level.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs. Joao Fonseca – Not Before 7:00pm on Stadium Court
This is a blockbuster second round matchup, which will surely attract a huge and boisterous crowd inside Hard Rock Stadium. Alcaraz took his first loss of the year last week in the Indian Wells semifinals against Medvedev, and a year ago in Miami, he experienced a shocking first-round loss at the hands of David Goffin. Meanwhile, a back injury has deterred 19-year-old Fonseca’s upward momentum of late, but many of us still expect him to do big things in this sport. This will be the first career meeting between two of tennis’ most popular and exciting stars.
Talia Gibson (Q) vs. Naomi Osaka (16) – Fifth on Butch Buchholz Court
Osaka was a finalist here back in 2022, and her 17 wins in Miami are the most she owns at any WTA 1000 tournament. 21-year-old Gibson was a surprising quarterfinalist last week in Indian Wells, where she came through qualifying and upset three seeds (Alexandrova, Tauson, Paolini). She has again come through qualifying this week, and won her first match in the main draw by a score of 6-1, 6-0. Last summer at Wimbledon, Osaka defeated Gibson in straights.
Elena Rybakina (3) vs. Yulia Putintseva – Not Before 8:30pm on Stadium Court
Rybakina is now 17-4 during 2026, and she is a two-time runner-up in Miami. But she has lost two of three against Putintseva, including their only match on this surface, which occurred five years ago in Indian Wells.
Friday’s full Order of Play is here.
