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Carlos Alcaraz will not seek his fifth Masters 1000 title in Rome. The Spaniard debuted at Foro Italico this year and suffered a stunning 6-3, 7-6 loss to world no. 135 Fabian Marozsan. The Hungarian qualified for the main draw and entered his first ATP tournament at 23.
Fabian beat two rivals and set the clash against world no. 2 in the third round. Marozsan played bold and aggressive tennis, leaving a better-ranked opponent behind in a surprise! Alcaraz said great words about his rival, admitting he could not match his pace throughout the match.
The Spaniard did have chances in the second set but did not use them, experiencing a rare straight-sets defeat. Carlos acknowledged his opponent and noted he deserved to beat him. Marozsan did everything right, keeping the points on his racquet and outplaying a Major champion.
Fabian mixed aggressive strokes with drop shots, keeping Carlos from finding his rhythm and imposing his strokes. A tall player dominated with his forehand and had the upper hand in the decisive moments to leave a better-ranked player empty-handed.
Carlos Alcaraz suffered an early Rome Masters exit to Fabian Marozsan.
Fabian hit 24 winners and 13 unforced errors, leaving Carlos on a 12-24 ratio. The Spaniard missed too many groundstrokes, never feeling comfortable from the baseline and staying in touch only thanks to 24 service winners.
The Hungarian dropped 15 points in 11 service games, losing serve once and delivering two breaks from seven opportunities to emerge at the top in style. Marozasn denied a break point in the encounter's opening game with a forced error and served well in the rest of the set to keep the pressure on Alcaraz.
He broke Carlos at love in game four with a forehand crosscourt winner to open a 3-1 lead and boost his chances. The Hungarian held comfortably in games five, seven and nine and wrapped up the set with a forehand drive-volley winner at 5-3.
With nothing working his way, Alcaraz faced three break points at 2-2 in the second set. He stayed calm, denied them and held with a service winner for 3-2, eager to fight until the end. However, the Hungarian kept thundering and broke him at 3-3 to move closer to the finish line.
Carlos pulled the break back in game eight to return to the positive side and saved a break point at 5-5 with a service winner. The set went into a tie break, and the Spaniard led 4-1. The Hungarian stayed composed and claimed the following six points to seal the deal in style and celebrate a stunning victory.
"I could have played better. My rival produced a very high level, and I could not follow it. Fabian always played well, never losing pace and keeping me under pressure, which was difficult to handle. I gave my best until the last ball, but it was not enough.
I had my chances in the second set and could have won it. However, it did not happen, and Fabian deserved to win," Carlos Alcaraz said.