World number one Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock exit from the Miami Open after going down to world number 36 Sebastian Korda in the third round on Sunday as the American secured the biggest victory of his career with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 victory in a match that lasted two hours and 14 minutes.
Korda looked in complete control early on and even came close to winning the second set, serving for the match at 5-3. However, the moment was fleeting as he was broken at love, allowing Alcaraz to force himself into a decision and briefly shift the momentum in his favor.
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Despite the setback, Korda showed remarkable composure under pressure. Breaking Alcaraz at 4-3 in the third set, the 25-year-old held his nerve and eventually sealed the match with an unreturnable serve on his second match point.
“It’s a great feeling. I took a scenic route, that’s for sure,” Korda said in a courtside interview after the match.
“It was a bit more stressful than I would have liked, but I’m happy with how I played and how I stuck with it. I got into some bad situations but I kept going, I believed and in the end I played really well,” he added.
Korda had earlier taken the first set with authority, firing 12 aces in the match and consistently keeping Alcaraz under pressure with an aggressive approach. Even after letting the second set slip away, he refused to back down and effectively shuffled his game – including timely service and volley games – to record his first ever win over the world No.1.
Alcaraz, on the other hand, looked uncharacteristically erratic at key moments, especially off the forehand wing, which ultimately proved costly in the decider.
The Spaniard entered the tournament in strong form, having already won his seventh Grand Slam title this year by winning the Australian Open to complete his career Grand Slam. His only loss to Miami came against Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals of Indian Wells, leaving him 17-2 for the season.
A former Miami Open champion who won the 2022 title as an 18-year-old, Alcaraz has now endured early exits from the tournament after falling in the second round last year.
The early departure means Alcaraz will once again focus on the clay court season, which begins next month at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Korda, seeded 32nd, will now face Karen Chačanov or Martin Landaluc in the round of 16, who wants to follow up on his landmark victory.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
23 March 2026 08:33 IST
