Korda Defeats Alcaraz in Miami Open Third Round
World number one Carlos Alcaraz was eliminated from the Miami Open in the third round following a 6-3 5-7 6-4 loss to Sebastian Korda. This marks the second victory for Korda in their six meetings.
Top seed Alcaraz, aged 22, struggled in the opening set, allowing the American player to gain an early advantage. However, Korda appeared to lose momentum in the second set.
Serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set, Korda was broken to love by Alcaraz, who then won the subsequent two games to push the contest into a deciding third set.
In the final set, Alcaraz increased his efforts, but Korda maintained composure and secured a break at 4-3 after Alcaraz sent a forehand wide. Ranked 36th globally, Korda then held his next two service games confidently, closing out the match on his second match point when Alcaraz overhit a return.
"It feels great," said Korda, who completed the victory in two hours and 19 minutes, marking his first win against a top-ranked player in his career.
"I took the scenic route, that's for sure - a little more stress than I would want but happy with how I played.
"I kept believing. I got myself in some nasty situations, but I kept going and played really well in the end."
Korda, 25, is the lowest-ranked player to defeat Alcaraz since David Goffin, ranked 55th, upset the Spaniard in the second round of the Miami Open last year.
Alcaraz began the year by winning his seventh Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and had not lost a match this season until his semi-final defeat to Daniil Medvedev at Indian Wells.
Korda, who previously reached the Miami Open quarter-finals in 2021 and 2025 but never progressed further, will face either 14th seed Karen Khachanov or qualifier Martin Landaluce in the fourth round.
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