Carlos Alcaraz shocker at Miami Open could have a huge impact on battle for world No 1 ranking

Kevin Palmer 22 Mar 2026 10:02 PM

Carlos Alcaraz shows his frustration

Carlos Alcaraz slumped to a surprising defeat against Sebastian Korda at the Miami Open and it could have a huge impact on his battle to fend off Jannik Sinner in the race for the world No 1 ranking.

After a shock loss against David Goffin in the second round in Miami last year, Alacarz fell in the third round this year despite coming back from the brink against the inspired Korda.

Alcaraz was on the brink of a straight sets defeat as Korda served for the match at 5-4 in the second set, but a poor game from the American allowed Alcaraz to snap back and he won the two subsequent games to force the match into a third set.

The world No 1 was a strong favourite to win the deciding set after his battling comeback, but Korda held his nerve as he broke the Spaniard’s serve at 3-3 and this time, his serve held up under pressure and he got over the winning line.

Alcaraz was gracious in defeat and encouraged Korda to ‘enjoy it’ as they exchanged pleasantries when the final ball was struck, with the winner admitting he should have claimed victory in a more speedy fashion.

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“It feels great. I took the scenic route that’s for sure,” he told Sky Sports. “A little more stress than I would want but happy with how I played and stayed with it. Kept believing.

“I got myself in some nasty situations. Just kept going and kept believing. I played really well at the end.

“I’ve gone through a lot of things, played a lot of great players. Haven’t been able to get it done but I felt always when I was playing these top players that I’d start spraying the ball and try to do a bit too much than I need to do.”

“I was as aggressive as possible. I served great the whole match. That’s what you need to do to beat a player like him.

“He’s unbelievable in every aspect of his game. Movement, volleys, forehand, backhand.. there’s nothing he can’t do. I had to be aggressive. I had to take the ball out of his hand and take the point in my favour.”

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This defeat will send shockwaves through tennis, with Alcaraz clearly not at his best after he admitted was not enjoying ‘having a target on his back’ after he lost against Daniil Medvedev at Indian Wells earlier this month.

This defeat could also be significant in the final analysis of the tennis year, as this was a big chance to Alcaraz to claim some ranking points, as he had very few to defend in Miami.

Now he is going into a stretch of tournaments where he has plenty of points to defend, as he is the champion at the Monte-Carlo and Rome Masters and also at the French Open.

If he fails to defend all of those titles, world No 2 Jannik Sinner will have a big chance to close the gap at the top of the rankings and he may have a chance to overhaul Alcaraz earlier than he might have expected.