World No. 36 Sebastian Korda upsets top seed Carlos Alcaraz in a three-set thriller, booking his ticket to the round of 16 at the Miami Open on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.
The 32nd-seeded player Sebastian Korda shocked world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, the youngest men’s champion to date at the Miami Open presented by Itau, with an impressive 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 win in two hours and 19 minutes on Sunday.
In his on-court interview, he outlined: “I took the scenic route, that’s for sure. There was a little more stress than I would want, but I’m happy with how I played, happy with how I stayed with it. I kept believing.
"I got myself in some nasty situations, but I kept going and played really well in the end.”
A highly competitive contest saw the home hero build his game around a sharp performance on serve, playing aggressively to keep his opponent at bay for much of the match.
The Spaniard applied pressure in a lengthy third game of the first set, challenging the 25-year-old to save two break points to hold his ground, firing three aces in the process.
In the following game, the 22-year-old double-faulted, opening the door to conversation, and Korda did not hesitate to seize the moment.
He mixed his shotmaking with precision, converting the first break point of the match to take a 5-3 lead while staying solid on the return.
With consistency in his game, the three-time ATP title holder maintained his level, taking the better of the Spanish player to seal the ninth game with an ace, pocketing the first set 6-3 in 40 minutes.
Hitting the ball cleanly off both wings, the Delray Beach Open reigning champion opened the court, finding the room he needed to break early in the second game of the second set.
Alcaraz, who won the first of his eight Masters 1000 titles in Miami, seemed uncomfortable, struggling to find solutions.
Short of his best tennis, he gave signs of frustration when talking to his box.
Pushed by the former world No. 15, the seven-time major champion stepped up the pressure, earning a break point opportunity he failed to convert in the fourth game.
Then, the Murcia native ripped a forehand to fend off a break point, holding his nerve at 2-3.
Korda, who last season advanced to the quarterfinals in Miami Gardens, stayed the course, becoming a wall at the net to neutralize his adversary, up a break in the scoreline.
Two games away from defeating a world number one for the first time, the Bradenton native held to love, leading 5-3.
However, Alcaraz broke his rival when serving for the match and held a 6-5 lead, setting in motion an impressive turnaround.
The 26-time ATP titlist's late challenge paid dividends as he imposed his rhythm, converting a double break by striking a forehand forcing shot to steal the second set 7-5 in 50 minutes.
A tense atmosphere built throughout the deciding set, as the parity between the players left no margin for error.
The inflexion point came in a pivotal seventh game, when Korda found a break to open a 4-3 advantage.
Trailing by 3-5, the Australian Open champion did not give up the fight, narrowing the gap to 4-5.
For the second time in the match, Korda served for the win and did not miss, wrapping up the set 6-4, becoming the lowest-ranked player to beat Alcaraz since David Goffin stunned Spain's top racquet last year at the tournament's second round.
A staggering performance by the American player saw him hit 33 winners to 32 unforced errors.
In addition, he converted three of five break points, and won 69 percent of the points on his first serve and 47 percent on his second delivery.
Next, he will face either the 14th seed Karen Khachanov or qualifier Martin Landaluce for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Korda is the first American man to defeat a No. 1 player in Miami since 2008.