Carlos Alcaraz suffers shock Miami Open defeat to American rising star Sebastian Korda in third round
Updated 22/03/2026 at 22:21 GMT
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Carlos Alcaraz was upset in the third round of the Miami Open as he was beaten 6-3 5-7 6-4 by world No. 36 Sebastian Korda. Alcaraz made the semi-finals at Indian Wells earlier this month and started his season by winning the Australian Open title. However, he could not find his best level as he was beaten by Korda in Miami.
Sebastian Korda of the United States reacts against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during Day 6 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 22, 2026 in Miami Gardens
Image credit: Getty Images
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz was handed a shock early exit at the Miami Open for the second year in a row as he was upset by Sebastian Korda.
Beaten a year ago by David Goffin in his opening match, this time Alcaraz was ousted in three sets in the third round by world No. 36 Korda.
Korda missed out on the chance to serve out the win in straight sets but didn't falter when given another opportunity in the third set as he won 6-3 5-7 6-4.
The defeat means Alcaraz will end the 'Sunshine Double' without a trophy after falling in the Indian Wells semi-finals to Daniil Medvedev.
Alcaraz had started his season by winning 16 matches in a row, claiming his first Australian Open title and also winning in Doha.
Korda is the lowest-ranked man to beat Alcaraz since he lost to world No. 55 Goffin in Miami a year ago.
It looked like victory might have slipped away from the American when he lost the second set from 5-3 up. But he regained his composure and took the only break point of the third set in the seventh game.
"I took the scenic route, that’s for sure," Korda said. "There was a little more stress than I would want, but I’m happy with how I played, happy with how I stayed with it. I kept believing. I got myself in some nasty situations, but I kept going and played really well in the end."
Former world No. 15 Korda slipped to No. 86 in the world rankings last season after two-and-a-half months out with injury.
He has shown signs of returning to form this season, winning his third career title at Delray Beach and also making an ATP Challenger final.
"It was a lot of soul-searching, I’ve gone through a lot of things," he said.
"I’ve played a lot of great players but haven’t always been able to get it done. I felt when I was playing these top players, I was just spraying the ball and trying to do too much. I sat down with [coach] Ryan [Harrison] and our goal today was to play average, to not try and do too much with it.”
Korda has previously made the quarter-finals in Miami in 2021 and 2025.
What next for Alcaraz?
Alcaraz will now turn his attention to the clay season.
He will be defending champion at the Monte-Carlo Masters, which starts on April 5, and has 4,300 ranking points in total to defend across the clay swing.
Last year he also won the Italian Open and the French Open, along with making the final in Barcelona.
The French Open starts on Sunday, May 24, and will be live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
World No. 2 Jannik Sinner has just 1,850 points to defend on clay and none until Rome in May.
Sinner could also close the gap on Alcaraz at the top of the rankings with a deep run in Miami.
Watch and stream the 2026 French Open live on TNT Sports and HBO Max
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