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The 36th player in the rankings, American Sebastian Korda, is responsible for Carlos Alcaraz’s second loss of 2026. The upset comes in the third round of the Miami Open, yet another addition to a line of upsets early in the tournament. Playing with home crowd support, Korda’s three-set triumph brings his head-to-head with the Spanish top-ranked up to 2-4. Losing last week’s Indian Wells in the semis to the eventual victor, Danill Medevev, Alcaraz has not won a Master’s 1000 since the 2025 Cincinnati Open. The 2022 Miami Open was his maiden Master’s title, at 18 years old, one of his many youth-related records, and he hasn’t gotten the chance to defend or consolidate it.

Game Styles and Strategies

While Alcaraz’s speed remains his biggest unrivaled asset, causing turmoil for all who must face him, his groundstrokes and serves are wicked entities that rival his friendly expression. Those groundstrokes are heavy and angled, hooked far away to short or deep corners, even whilst he’s spread across and screeching on the court, making him a proper nightmare. His endless energy, agility, and tennis IQ, bundled with his experience, make his defense unshakeable while on the run and his offensive game terrifying. An offensive game that can kick up into several gears when push comes to shove, which goes for groundstrokes and serves, as shown in his winning 71% of his first serve points for the match. So, agility isn’t in question, and neither is sense. A standard for a first-ranked, multi-Grand Slam champion.

Now take Korda, standing tall at six-foot-five, who played and moved in ways that hardly fit the way most think of the lankier players on tour. His court coverage was superb, especially on the baseline, keeping up with Alcaraz. The American found the sweet spot on his shots every time, striking deep in the court regardless of which angle he chose: crosscourt, inside-out, or simply down the middle. Whichever one out of all, he kept the Spanish champ at bay and excelled at surviving through rallies until attacking. Many of those attacks, and what set the two apart early on, were the approach shots Korda found at every opportunity, as return plus ones, after barely rallying, wisely playing to his height. That height, of course, blessed him, like many other giants, with a stunning net game. Overheads, volleys, and half-volleys, all of which had Alcaraz continuously fighting against. A lob can work only so many times.

How Korda Broke Through

Three sets are no easy feat, and the U.S. Open champion fought tenaciously in both the second and third sets to mount a comeback. However, he was up against a hometown favorite who seemed equally in the zone. As he scrambled and delivered phenomenal shots, Korda matched him blow for blow, often producing even sharper angles. The American's five-inch height advantage over the Spaniard gave him a distinct edge in that regard. Alcaraz’s sleeves and cheeky dropshots didn’t give him any of his usual advantages. Worst still, Korda replicated them and harmed him right back.

The Americans’ combination of deep groundstrokes and dominating the net is what left Alcaraz without answers. Surviving rallies while drilling them back deep left the first-rank unable to dictate most of the time. Storming the net and approaching whenever he could, and whenever Alcaraz wasn’t able to get atop the point that positioned him as the aggressor, at the net, where there is little risk. His service gave him an incredible advantage. 12 aces, zero double faults, and winning 69% of his first serve points show how that net play favored him.

Alcaraz played well; it wasn’t anything that he didn’t do well, or not. He even tried stepping in to take shots earlier, and simply couldn’t catch them. It was Korda’s day and environment, both on U.S. soil and in Florida, as he recently won the 250 Delray Beach Open in February. Now in the first-seed’s spot in the Miami Open draw, Korda will face another Spaniard next, Martin Landaluce, 151st-ranked. Landaluce just defeated 15th-ranked Karen Khachanov of Russia, with more upsets in this year’s Miami Open on both the men’s and women’s sides.