Carlos Alcaraz makes his Miami Title defense debut at No. 1 spot.

Carlos Alcaraz makes his Miami Title defense debut at No. 1 spot.

The top half of the seeded players in the 2023 Miami Open presented by Itau will compete in the second round at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday to begin their ATP Masters 1000 campaigns.

The tournament's top seed, Carlos Alcaraz, is the defending champion in Miami, aiming to complete the coveted "Sunshine Double" by building on his success in Indian Wells. The Spaniard takes on Facundo Bagnis on Friday; Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev, and Holger Rune are contending in the subsequent round.

The 19-year-old Alcaraz is competing for a lot more than just the trophy this year in Miami. The Spaniard must defend his title in Florida in order to maintain his lead over Novak Djokovic and remain at the top of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. If he were to win the title here, he would also become the youngest player to ever win Indian Wells and Miami in the same year.