Carlos Alcaraz’s was dealt a big blow in his quest to track down Jannik Sinner at the top of the ATP Rankings as he suffered a surprise early exit at the Miami Open.
The four-time major winner fell 7-5, 4-6, 3-6 to world No 55 David Goffin in the second round of the Masters 1000 event at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Alcaraz, who failed to generate a break point after the first set, now holds a 1-2 record against the 34-year-old Belgian.
It was a second successive defeat for Alcaraz after he was downed by Jack Draper in the last four at the Indian Wells Masters.
Jannik Sinner, the world No 1, is unable to compete until May 4 as a result of failing two doping tests in March 2024.
The Italian, who has been banned since February 9, last played at the Australian Open in January, where he defended his title.
Sinner’s absence has presented a big opportunity for both Alexander Zverev and Alcaraz — who are ranked second and third respectively — to close the gap.
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Zverev has struggled to capitalise so far, having lost four of his eight matches since losing to Sinner in the Australian Open final.
Alcaraz has had more success; winning the Rotterdam Open title, making the Indian Wells semi-finals and reaching the last eight at the Qatar Open.
The 21-year-old’s shock Miami loss, however, is a significant setback — with 1,000 points on offer for the champion.
Having reached the quarter-finals in Miami last year, Alcaraz’s second round exit has seen him drop 190 points in the Live ATP Rankings — taking his tally from 6,910 to 6,720.
Sinner will lose the 1,000 points he earned for winning last year’s Miami Open, which will take his total from 11,330 to 10,330.
Alcaraz will, therefore, trail Sinner by a sizeable 3,610 points heading into the clay-court season, which means it is not possible for him to become world No 1 before his rival returns.
On a positive note, the Spaniard will have some big chances to gain points on clay, having missed tournaments in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome through injury in 2024.
Sinner will drop a further 600 points — for his results in Monte Carlo and Madrid last year — before his expected return to action in Rome.
World No 2 Zverev could be the big winner from Miami as he has the opportunity to end the tournament on 8,545 points by securing the title. The top seed will face Jacob Fearnley in his opening match.
As things stand, the German is 2,775 points adrift of Sinner and 835 points clear of Alcaraz in the Live Rankings.
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The post How Carlos Alcaraz’s Miami loss affects ATP Rankings battle with Jannik Sinner & Alexander Zverev appeared first on Tennis365.
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