India, March 24 -- A slew of top seeds crashed out in the early rounds of the 2026 Miami Open, with the biggest shock coming in the form of world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. On Sunday, the Spaniard bowed out in the third round, losing 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 to American Sebastian Korda, marking one of the tournament's biggest upsets.

Yet, if recent history is anything to go by, this defeat may prove a turning point rather than a setback-especially with the clay-court season around the corner.

For the second consecutive year, Alcaraz failed to reach the second week in Miami. The result was surprising not just because of his dominance in recent seasons, where he and Jannik Sinner have taken over from the Big Three, but also due to his red-hot start to 20...