Carlos Alcaraz’s Miami Open campaign came to a surprising halt, but the Spaniard isn’t dwelling on the defeat. Despite falling 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 to Sebastian Korda in the third round, the world No. 1 chose to focus on the positives, calling it a “good match” while acknowledging the American’s brilliance in key moments.

But is he annoyed with constant challenges from lower-ranked opponents? Here are five things you might have missed from Alcaraz’s upset loss in Miami:

Carlos Alcaraz finds positives despite a shocking exit from the Miami Open

After securing a blazing 16-0 start to the season, Carlos Alcaraz has now faced two defeats. First, he went down to Daniil Medvedev in the SF of the Indian Wells Masters, and now America’s Sebastian Korda stunned him in the R32 of the Miami Open.

However, despite the loss, Alcaraz refused to be overly critical of his performance, instead highlighting the progress he has made in recent weeks. “I think I just played a good match,” he said. “Some moments that he just played great… a lot of 30-30 points, 40-40, advantage… that I just didn’t make it. We have to see the other side of the net.”

The Spaniard emphasized that Korda elevated his level when it mattered most. Still, Alcaraz took encouragement from his own improvements. “I think in this tournament I started to feel better and better. The process has been good, besides the loss today, but I think I’m still on the right way.”

Alcaraz opens up on the pressure of being world number one

Carlos Alcaraz has been the world number one for around 63 weeks. If we take a look at the ATP Live Rankings, he now has 13,590 points compared to Jannik Sinner’s 11,450. So, there is still a big gap between the top 2. But being at the top comes with its own challenges, and Alcaraz feels his opponents sense opportunity rather than pressure.

“I’m feeling they have more to win than to lose in those matches,” he explained. “That’s why… they’re playing without pressure. That’s the feeling I get after every match.” Interestingly, Alcaraz insisted that he doesn’t feel burdened by expectations himself. Instead, he believes the freedom his opponents play with often raises their level against him.

Carlos Alcaraz says it can be a bit “annoying” when players bring out their A-game against him

If we analyze this particular match against Sebastian Korda, top seed Carlos Alcaraz, 22, endured a shaky opening set, allowing the American to take early control, though Sebastian Korda appeared to let the advantage slip in the second. Serving for the match at 5-4, Korda was broken to love by the Spaniard, who then claimed the next two games to push the contest into a deciding set.

Alcaraz raised his intensity in the third, but Korda stayed composed and grabbed a crucial break for 4-3 after forcing an error off a misfired forehand. Ranked No.36, Korda then held firm on his serve in the final stages, wrapping up the victory on his second match point when Alcaraz sent a return long.

After the match, Alcaraz admitted it can be frustrating when players produce their best tennis against him. “Well, it’s not really good to be honest. It’s a bit annoying. But you know, you have to accept it. You have to keep it going and try your best,” he said. However, the 22-year-old showed maturity in accepting the reality. “I’ll try to play better in those moments… and push them to the limit even more.”

Despite Korda’s high level, Alcaraz pointed out how close the contest really was, with numerous deuce points and break opportunities that ultimately slipped away. However, some of the fans didn’t take his “annoying” comments lightly.

Just a few days ago, Carlos Alcaraz received a lot of backlash for putting up a quote (YOUNGEST EVER TO WIN THE 4 OF THEM) on his kitbag. Now, after seeing his post-match reaction to facing high quality opponents, some of the fans have started saying, “He’s getting a bit too arrogant now.”

But amid all these, the Spaniard is looking forward to resetting things before the clay-court swing.

Carlos Alcaraz reveals his plans for next week

Last year, Carlos Alcaraz faced almost a similar fate at the Miami Open. He was knocked out by David Goffin in the first round itself. But after that, he made a strong comeback on the clay courts. He won titles in Monte Carlo, Rome, and also in Paris (the French Open). Can he repeat a similar pattern this year as well? Time will tell!

But coming to his plans after the Miami Open exit, Alcaraz revealed, “Probably I’m going to go back home, which I’m just looking forward to, stay chilling with my family, with my friends. A couple of days. I don’t know how much they, my team, are going to allow me to have rest and days off. And all of a sudden, you just go back on track, go back on the court. The clay season is around the corner, and I have really good tournaments that I’m excited about playing there.”

So, all he now wants is to press the reset button and make a strong comeback on the clay courts. But what about Sebastian Korda?

Sebastian Korda’s full-circle moment against the world number one

This was Sebastian Korda’s first win over a world number, and with this win, he has now reached the R16 of the Miami Open for the third time in his career. He will face another Spaniard, Martin Landaluce, in the next round. But do you know, the victory also carried a poetic touch – coming 29 years after his father famously defeated Pete Sampras, with Korda celebrating in a similar fashion.

While Alcaraz searched for positives, it was a career-defining win for Sebastian Korda. “It feels great. I took the scenic route, that’s for sure,” Korda said after the match. The American revealed a surprisingly simple game plan: “Our goal today was to play average. Just have an average ball. Don’t do too much with it.”

When asked about raising his level even further, Korda emphasized the importance of controlled aggression. It was truly an incredible performance by the American. What are your thoughts, though, on the win against Carlos Alcaraz?