What does Carlos Alcaraz’s loss in Miami mean for the battle for No. 1 in the world? | ATP Tour
ATP Tour
What does it mean for Alcaraz to lose in his world No. 1 battle with Sinner in Miami?
Current No. 1 Alcaraz lost to Korda in the third round at Florida State
March 22, 2026
ATP Tour
Carlos Alcaraz takes on Sebastian Korda on Sunday in Miami.
Written by ATP Staff
Carlos Alcaraz’s shock early exit from the Miami Open courtesy of Etta could have further consequences for the Spaniard’s world number one status.
Sebastian Korda won 6-3, 6-4 in Sunday’s third-round match at Hard Rock Stadium, and the 22-year-old finished with a 5-2 record in the Sunshine Doubles at Indian Wells and Miami. After his defeat in Florida, Alcaraz gave his Lexus ATP head-to-head rival, world No. 2 Jannik Sinner, a chance to close the gap in the battle for the top spot in the PIF ATP rankings.
Alcaraz still leads Sinner by 2,140 points in the PIF ATP live rankings. However, Sinner is still alive in the Miami draw and can close the gap to 1,240 points by lifting his third consecutive ATP Masters 1000 title. Sinner had a chance to get a bigger advantage on his opponent, but after David Goffin knocked out the Spaniard in the second round a year ago, Alcaraz has defended just 10 points in Miami this year. Second-seeded Sinner will face No. 30 seed Corentin Moutet on Monday for a spot in the fourth round.
PIF ATP real-time ranking (as of March 22)
The importance of Alcaraz’s early exit in the battle for world number one is magnified given the number of points the Spaniard must defend in the coming months. He will defend his 4,300-point title in the upcoming European clay court tournament, having won last year’s Rolex Monte Carlo Masters, BNL Italia in Rome and Roland Garros International, while also reaching the final at the Banco Sabadell Open in Barcelona. By comparison, Sinner only has 1,850 points to defend until Rome in May.
Although Alcaraz’s world number one status is threatened by Sinner in the medium term, the Spaniard will remain first in total weeks ahead of his great rival until then. Regardless of whether Sinner goes on to lift the Miami trophy, the Spaniard will equal Sinner’s 66-week milestone in early April.
