Carlos Alcaraz found himself at the center of drama during his second-round match against Joao Fonseca at the Miami Open. The controversy emerged after the chair umpire, Mohamed Lahyani, took a controversial call, taking away the Spaniard’s crucial point.
Alcaraz and Fonseca locked horns in the tournament’s second round on March 20, where the Spaniard performed with dominance. He commenced the match by claiming the first round (6-4, 6-4); however, the second round wasn’t a smooth go for him.
The controversy unfolded during a key stage of the match when the Spaniard appeared to secure a point after a rally. In the second set, while the score was at 1-0, the World No. 1 executed a slice that appeared to bounce twice before his opponent could hit it.
The replays clearly showed a double bounce; however, despite that, chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani called to replay the point that left Alcaraz visibly frustrated. He initially tried to defend the situation but eventually accepted the call and relayed the point.
Despite this, the World No. 1 won the clash, securing a 6-4, 6-4 win, and advanced to the tournament’s round of 32. Here is the video of the controversial umpire’s call:
Alcaraz and umpire controversy
Carlos Alcaraz made his feelings known about his Miami Open opponent Joao Fonseca
After winning the matchup against Joao Fonseca in the second round of the Miami Open, Carlos Alcaraz addressed the media, where he weighed in on his opponent’s form, recalling his head-to-head showdown against Jannik Sinner at the Indian Wells Masters. Lauding him for his performance, he said:
“Obviously when someone is going toe to toe with Jannik, that means he had to play great tennis and perform really, really well. I couldn’t see the full match, but I saw that Joao is playing great tennis. I’m really happy to see Joao playing these kinds of matches, at this kind of level,” said Carlos Alcaraz.
He added:
“I know how good Joao is, and that’s why I was really focused, every point, every shot. “I’m just happy to stay calm, to stay positive in those moments. Most of the games, I just served pretty well, which was a really great weapon today for me.”
Carlos Alcaraz is currently scheduled to compete against Sebastian Korda in the third round of the Miami Open.
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