WATCH: Alex De Minaur takes cheeky 2-word dig at noisy Brazilian crowd after beating Joao Fonseca at Miami Open

Alex De Minaur took a cheeky dig at the Brazilian crowd after outclassing Joao Fonseca in the third round of the Miami Open. He defeated the inform teenager in a gripping three-setter 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.

De Minaur entered Miami after a fourth-round exit in Indian Wells. He started his campaign with a hard-fought win over Yunchaokete Bu and then moved past Joao Fonseca in the third round.

The Australian showed his resilience to claw back from a one-set deficit and dealt with the loud Brazilian crowd backing Fonseca. He then singed off with a humorous message on camera labelling the atmosphere inside Miami as good as one of the Brazilian tournaments in South America.

"Rio Open," Alex De Minaur wrote with a smiley emoji

Joao Fonseca has been one of the most in-form players on tour in the last few weeks. The 19-year-old started his campaign in Miami by defeating Learner Tien before humbling 19th seed Ugo Humbert in the second round.

De Minaur reflected on his solid win against Fonseca and spoke about his approach while dealing with the robust Brazilian crowd inside the arena.

“There’s no other way. You can go out there and complain and get rattled. You can do a lot of different things. But that won’t help you win the match. Ultimately, that’s what I told myself. It’s gonna be a battle not only against the player but against the crowd. Just put your head down, do the work.. and try to compete every single point," Alex De Minaur said.

Fonseca made the headlines last year by winning the ATP Next Gen Finals in December. He gained popularity again on tour by winning the Argentina Open last month.

Alex De Minaur will take on Matteo Berrettini in R4 of the Miami Open

De Minaur celebrates a point in the Miami Open - Source: Getty TENNIS: MAR 20 Miami Open - Source: Getty

Alex De Minaur and Matteo Berrettini will lock horns in the fourth round of the Miami Open. The Italian leads the head-to-head against De Minaur 2-1 and outfoxed him most recently in the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.

While De Minaur edged past Fonseca in the third round, Berrettini made light work of Zizou Bergs. He defeated the Belgian 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 34 minutes.

This will be the second meeting between De Minaur and Berrettini on a hardcourt. De Minaur won their previous encounter in the 2022 ATP Cup 6-3, 7-6(4).

The winner between De Minaur and Berrettini will take on either Taylor Fritz or Adam Walton in the quarterfinal. The duo are scheduled to play their fourth-round encounter on Tuesday, March 25.