MIAMI/WASHINGTON, March 23, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
Sebastian Korda has done a lot of soul searching on and off the tennis court the past year. After missing two-and-a-half months during the 2025 season with a right shin stress fracture, being away from the weekly ebb and flow of the ATP Tour gave him a lot of time to think about his game.
At the Miami Open presented by Itau Sunday afternoon, on the temporarily-constructed stadium court inside of Hard Rock Stadium, the 25-year-old American from Florida played the match of his young life in defeating World No. 1 and top seed Carlos Alcaraz, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, in two hours and 18 minutes. The victory advanced Korda to the round of 16 and it marked just the second time he had defeated Alcaraz in six career meetings.
“I’ve gone through a lot of things. I’ve played a lot of great players but haven’t always been able to get it done,” Korda said during his post-match news conference after handing the 22-year-old Spaniard his second loss in his last three matches during the coast-to-coast Sunshine Double swing through Indian Wells and Miami.
No feeling like it. #MiamiOpen | @SebiKorda pic.twitter.com/9EutyVyuzp
— Miami Open (@MiamiOpen) March 22, 2026
Korda, a former World No. 15 and three-time ATP Tour champion, whose ranking had dropped to as low as No. 86 in the PIF ATP Rankings, gave every indication against Alcaraz just how good and effective he can be on the tennis court when he’s injury free and fully fit. After all, Korda was a quarterfinalist in Miami last year. However, he was only 9-23 coming in against Top-10 competition.
Now ranked 36th, Korda credits former American pro Ryan Harrison, whom he added to his team recently, with helping him redefine the positives of his game. It includes striking flat but powerful groundstrokes, an uncanny ability to slice effectively, and the tenacity to hit deft volley returns. Combined, there are a lot of great qualities to Korda’s all-around game that make him both a crowd pleaser – especially in the United States – and a tough out for any opponent.
On Sunday, Korda struck 33 winners – including 12 aces – and won 69 percent (50 of 72) of his first-serve points. He saved three of five break points and broke Alcaraz’s serve three times in five opportunities. Korda outpointed his opponent 101-97 to advance against another Spaniard, 151st-ranked qualifier Martin Landaluce on Tuesday. The ATP NextGen rising star was impressive in upsetting World No. 15 and 14th seed Karen Khachanov of Russia in straight sets on Sunday.
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Looking back, as Korda explained, “I felt when I was playing these top players, I was just spraying the ball and trying to do too much. I sat down with Ryan, and our goal today was to play average, to not try and do too much with it.”
After playing solidly during the first set-and-a-half, Korda allowed Alcaraz back into the third-round match when he was unable to close it out on his serve. Instead, Alcaraz put together a string of five-straight winning games. He broke the American at love to draw even at 5-all and, soon, it was on to a decider.
Then, upon playing evenly for the first six games of the third set, Korda broke Alcaraz to go ahead 4-3 and went on to close out his 12th victory of the season on his second match point. He ripped a serve up the middle of the court that Alcaraz returned long. Upon securing the upset victory, Korda closed his eyes and smiled as he raised his racquet over his head and soaked in the moment of joy.
“It was a lot of tense moments, for sure. But I think today the ultimate thing was belief, going back to just believing, committing in every shot. Luckily I got it done at the end,” Korda said.
WHAT 👏 A 👏 MOMENT 👏
Look at what it means to @SebiKorda as he defeats World No. 1 Alcaraz on home turf! @MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/2xGOrM2oXj
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 22, 2026
Korda became the lowest-ranked player to defeat Alcaraz since then-No. 55 David Goffin of Belgium in the second round at Miami last year. He also became the first American man to beat a World No. 1 in Miami since Andy Roddick defeated No. 1 Roger Federer in the 2008 Miami Open quarterfinals. The victory over Alcaraz improved Korda’s ATP Tour win-loss record to 12-5 and he’s 16-6 in all competitions, including a title run in nearby Delray Beach, Fla. last month.
Meanwhile, the loss dropped Alcaraz’s win-loss record to 17-2 after starting 2026 undefeated at 16-0, in which he won the Australian Open and became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam. He followed with a title victory in Doha. While Miami was the site of Alcaraz’s first ATP Masters 1000 title success, back in 2022, he’s struggled in South Florida the past two years.
During his news conference Alcaraz admitted, “Sebi was incredible today. Played such a great game. A lot of tight, tight moments that I just didn’t make the most of it. I think he was better on those points, on those moments. I would say that was the key of the match.”
Carlos waves goodbye to Miami 🧡👏@MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/GR8PXG2W9Q
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 22, 2026
Now, it’s time for the seven-time major champion to step away and regroup in time for the spring European clay season after going 5-2 since winning the Qatar Open. Alcaraz is expected to return in time for the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters next month, where he’s the defending champion.
“Probably I am going to go back home, which I am looking forward to,” Alcaraz said. “Stay chilling with my family, with my friends [for a] couple of days. I don’t know how much my team is going to allow me to have a rest and a day off.
“All of a sudden, I just [have to get] back on track, go back on the court. The clay season is around the corner. I have really good tournaments that I am just excited about playing there. My mind right now is to take some days off, to reset my mind, reset the batteries, and be ready in good shape for the clay season.”
