India, March 23 -- After a rollicking start to the 2026 season, highlighted by a maiden Australian Open title, Carlos Alcaraz has hit his first rough patch. The Spaniard suffered back-to-back setbacks at the Sunshine Double, first losing to Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals at Indian Wells, before crashing out in the third round of the Miami Open following a shock defeat to Sebastian Korda on Sunday.

The 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 loss left Alcaraz with a 5-2 record across the two Masters events and 17-2 overall this season. But beyond the defeat itself, the bigger concern lies in its impact on the World No. 1 race, where he may have handed Jannik Sinner a crucial opening.

Alcaraz still holds a commanding 2,140-point lead over Sinner in the Live Ran...