Tennis great Justine Henin has proclaimed that Carlos Alcaraz “will benefit” from his shock defeat to Sebastian Korda at the 2026 Miami Open.
World No 1 Alcaraz was upset 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 by 36th-ranked Korda in the third round of the Masters 1000 tournament at the Hard Rock Stadium.
The 22-year-old Spaniard was on the brink of a straight-set defeat when trailing 3-6, 3-5, but he broke the 25-year-old American twice to force a decider.
Korda responded strongly in the third set as he broke Alcaraz in the seventh game en route to sealing his first-ever victory against a world No 1.
Alcaraz had won his previous three meetings with Korda without dropping a set after he lost to the American in their first encounter at the 2022 Monte Carlo Masters.
After winning his first 16 matches of 2026, Alcaraz has now lost two of his last three matches, having fallen to Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells semi-finals before beating Joao Fonseca in his opener in Miami.
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What did Justine Henin say about Carlos Alcaraz’s Miami Open defeat?
Speaking to Eurosport France, former world No 1 Henin praised Korda and assessed that Alcaraz’s defeat is a reminder that both he and Jannik Sinner are “simply human.”
“Right off the bat, we have to acknowledge Korda’s biggest win of his career,” said the Belgian, who won seven major titles.
“Players are more or less overshadowed all year when they play Alcaraz and Sinner. And even when they beat them, we question them. They’re simply human.
“This tour is tough. Alcaraz will benefit from it. This might be our chance to see him in Monte Carlo. Last year, that was the case.
“In any event, this victory will mean much more to Korda than this defeat will mean to Alcaraz, even though he hates losing and came to Miami for something bigger.
“He hasn’t lost any of his magic just because he’s had two tougher tournaments. He lacked a bit of energy, a bit of stamina, which is perfectly understandable when you see what he’s accomplished over the past year.”
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