Sebastian Korda defeated Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 in the third round of the 2026 Miami Open on March 23, ending the world No. 1's 16-match winning streak that included his seventh Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open. The loss marks Alcaraz's second straight early exit after a straight-sets semifinal defeat to Daniil Medvedev at Indian Wells.
No. 36-ranked Sebastian Korda, the 32nd seed, produced 12 aces and 38 winners over 2 hours and 18 minutes to claim his first career win over a world No. 1. After dominating the first set 6-3, Korda served for the match at 5-4 in the second but faced resistance from Alcaraz, who forced a decider. The American broke for 4-3 in the third set and converted his second match point when Alcaraz's return went long.
Alcaraz displayed visible frustration during the match, telling his team, “I’m going home... At most I can do a 6-3 and 6-4, or a 6-3 and 7-5... I can’t do more!” His coach Samuel López encouraged him with calls like “Throw down the gauntlet!” and “Keep going! Lock it in!”.
Post-match, Alcaraz reiterated that opponents raise their level against him without pressure, likening it to facing Roger Federer every time, calling it “a bit annoying” but vowing to improve. French player Arthur Rinderknech pushed back in L’Equipe: “I’m not sure he’s always playing against guys who play like Federer... if those guys played like Federer, I think he’d be in more trouble.” Toni Nadal disagreed, saying it's not a target on the back but about playing faster against superiors.
Korda called the victory a career highlight and advances to face Martin Landaluce. Alcaraz, who won his first Masters 1000 at Miami in 2022 aged 18 but lost in the first round last year to David Goffin, plans to rest at home before the clay season.
