Sebastian Korda Stuns World Number One Carlos Alcaraz in Miami Open Third Round

Sebastian Korda defeated world number one Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in the third round of the Miami Open on Sunday, March 22, ending the Spaniard's run at the second Masters 1000 of the season in a match that lasted approximately two hours and 19 minutes. Korda, ranked 36th in the world, produced a performance of the highest level, striking 33 winners and 12 aces to claim the biggest victory of his career. Alcaraz, 22, had entered the tournament in strong form after winning the Australian Open and the Doha ATP 500 earlier in the season, but the American refused to be intimidated. The result marks Alcaraz's second defeat of 2026, following his semifinal loss to Daniil Medvedev at Indian Wells the previous week. Alcaraz retains his position as world number one regardless of how the Miami Open concludes.

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Korda holds nerve after Alcaraz's second-set comeback The match unfolded in dramatic fashion across three sets, with Alcaraz showing both his vulnerabilities and his resilience. In the first set, Alcaraz saved a break point in the second game but ultimately conceded his serve at 5-3, allowing Korda to take the opener with relative comfort. The second set appeared to swing decisively toward Alcaraz when, trailing 3-5 and facing Korda serving for the match at 5-4, the Spaniard broke back to love and won eight of the next nine points to claim the set 7-5. Korda, however, refused to be derailed and broke Alcaraz's serve in the seventh game of the deciding third set to move ahead 4-3, then held his remaining service games to close out the match. Alcaraz managed only two aces compared to Korda's 12, and won just two of five break points, according to Il Messaggero. „Se siente genial. Tomé la ruta escénica, eso seguro - un poco más de estrés de lo que me gustaría, pero contento con cómo jugué. Seguí creyendo. Me metí en algunas situaciones desagradables, pero seguí adelante y jugué realmente bien al final.” (It feels great. I took the scenic route, that's for sure — a little more stress than I would have liked, but happy with how I played. I kept believing. I got into some uncomfortable situations, but I kept going and played really well at the end.) — Sebastian Korda via BBC

Sinner now within striking distance at the top of rankings Alcaraz's early exit opens a significant opportunity for world number two Jannik Sinner in the ATP rankings race. Because Alcaraz defended only 10 points from last year's Miami campaign, his early exit nets him just 40 ranking points, bringing his total to 13,590, according to La Repubblica. Should Sinner win the Miami Open, he could close the gap to 1,190 points, moving to 12,400. Alcaraz had arrived in Miami having accumulated 16 consecutive victories before his Indian Wells semifinal defeat to Medvedev, a run that included his seventh Grand Slam title at the Australian Open — completing a career Grand Slam — and the Doha title. His world number one ranking, however, is confirmed to be safe regardless of the Miami outcome. 1,190 (ranking points) — potential gap between Sinner and Alcaraz if Sinner wins Miami

Carlos Alcaraz first won the Miami Open in 2022, a victory that announced him as a major force in world tennis. He was eliminated in the second round in Miami in 2025 by Belgium's David Goffin, ranked 55th at the time, making Sunday's defeat to Korda his second consecutive early exit in Florida. Korda had previously reached the quarterfinals of the Miami Open in 2021 and 2025 but had never advanced beyond that stage. Sunday's win was the first time in Korda's career that he defeated a player ranked number one in the world. Alcaraz's most recent victory over Korda came in the third round of Roland Garros 2024.

Young Spaniard Jódar exits but secures top-100 milestone Sunday's session also brought the elimination of 19-year-old Rafael Jódar, who lost in the third round to Argentine Tomás Martín Etcheverry 7-5, 6-4. The young player from Madrid had been enjoying his first victories at a Masters 1000 level tournament, making the result a bittersweet end to his Miami campaign. Despite the defeat, Jódar secured entry into the world's top 100, a significant milestone for the teenager. Elsewhere in the draw, Alexander Shevchenko eliminated American Ben Shelton from the tournament, a result described as a surprise by ANSA. Korda will next face either 14th seed Karen Khachanov or qualifier Martin Landaluce in the round of 16, as he bids to surpass his previous best result of a quarterfinal finish at the tournament.