Miami, March 24: World number one Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock third-round defeat to American Sebastian Korda at the Miami Open.
Lifted by a partisan home crowd, Korda, ranked 36, in the deciding set to progress 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in the biggest win of his career.
Korda is the lowest-ranked player to defeat Alcaraz since he lost to David Goffin in the second round in Miami last year, with the Spaniard - who had started 2026 with a perfect 16-0 run - having now lost two of his past three matches.
"I took the scenic route, that's for sure," Korda said.
"There was a little more stress than I would want, but I am 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."
Korda will now bid to match his best result in Miami, where he reached the quarter-finals in 2021 and 2025. To do so, he must overcome 20-year-old qualifier Martin Landaluce in the fourth round.
After missing two-and-a-half months last year with a right shin stress fracture and slipping to No. 86 in the rankings, Korda demonstrated just how dangerous he can be when fully fit. The former World No. 15 and three-time ATP Tour champion delivered a composed opening set, landing 75 per cent of his first serves and striking five aces.
Alcaraz was at times left without answers, but the Spaniard mounted a spirited comeback late in the second set. Although he did produce a series of confident moves, Korda struck three backhand unforced errors en route to dropping serve to love when attempting to close out the match at 5-4.
It was part of a five-game streak from Alcaraz to force a decider, but Korda reset with impressive composure, rediscovering his clean ballstriking and tactical clarity to close out the match. With the win, he improved to 2-4 in his ATP Head2Head series against Alcaraz.
With his victory, Korda became just the sixth American man to defeat a World No. 1 since 2015. He recently hired former Top 40 player Ryan Harrison as part of his coaching setup.
"It was a lot of soul searching," Korda added. "I've gone through a lot of things. 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 Ryan, and our goal today was to play average, to not try and do too much with it."
In the WTA event, world number one Aryna Sabalenka swept aside Caty McNally of the US in straight sets to reach the fourth round of the Miami Open.
McNally did well to keep up with the Belarusian in the first set, but ultimately ran out of fuel as Sabalenka wrapped up a 6-4, 6-2 win in one hour and 25 minutes.
She will next take on China's Qinwen Zheng, who upset home favourite Madison Keys 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
World number two Elena Rybakina dispatched Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 6-4 to move into the last 16, while fifth seed Jessica Pegula delighted the home crowd with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Leylah Fernandez.
Source: Qatar Tribune
