Carlos Alcaraz suffered an unexpected early exit at the Miami Open after losing to Sebastian Korda in the third round. The American produced the biggest win of his career with a 6 3, 5 7, 6 4 victory, while Aryna Sabalenka had a far more comfortable day as she advanced to the last 16 in the women’s draw.
For Alcaraz, it was another disappointing finish in Miami. For Korda, it was a major statement against the world number one on home soil.
Korda stays calm to finish the upset
Korda looked in control for long stretches and built his win with a smart mix of power and variation. He made strong use of serve and volley, kept Alcaraz from settling into rhythm and stayed composed even after missing a chance to close the match in the second set.
Instead of fading, the American reset well in the decider. He broke for a 5 3 lead and then sealed the result with an unreturnable serve, earning his first win over a top ranked player.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, was below his best and made more mistakes than usual. Even so, he tried to stay positive afterward and said he still feels his overall progress this season has been good.
Alcaraz stays focused despite another setback
The Spaniard had opened the year in strong fashion by winning the Australian Open and only recently suffered his first defeat of the season at Indian Wells. After this loss, he said he still believes he is moving in the right direction, even if the result in Miami was frustrating.
He also admitted that opponents often play with extra freedom against him because they feel they have more to gain than lose. Still, Alcaraz insisted he is not thinking too much about pressure and remains focused on playing his best tennis.
His attention will now turn toward the clay court stretch of the season.
Sabalenka and Rybakina continue without trouble
In the women’s event, top seed Aryna Sabalenka advanced with a 6 4, 6 2 win over Catherine McNally. The defending champion is still on course for the Sunshine Double after her recent title run at Indian Wells.
Sabalenka will next face Zheng Qinwen, who knocked out Madison Keys. Elena Rybakina also moved forward after beating Marta Kostyuk, while Jessica Pegula joined her in the next round with a straight sets victory over Leylah Fernandez.
Other seeds move on as more names exit
On the men’s side, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul also advanced, while Arthur Fils delivered one of the most striking results of the day by crushing Stefanos Tsitsipas 6 0, 6 1.
There were also notable exits in the women’s draw, with Jasmine Paolini, Elina Svitolina, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Iva Jovic all going out before the last 16.
