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World no. 2 Carlos Alcaraz will not remember his Rome Masters debut for too long! The Spaniard fell to world no. 135 Fabian Marozsan, with a qualifier stunning the ATP Race leader 6-3, 7-6 in an hour and 40 minutes for a career-best triumph.
Carlos praised his rival, who outplayed him with an outstanding level of tennis, predicting we would soon see him in the top-100. The 23-year-old Hungarian qualified for the main draw and debuted on the ATP Tour. Marozsan won two matches and set the clash against Alcaraz.
Holding his nerves, Fabian delivered a rock-solid performance and overpowered the title favorite to find himself in the last 16. 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 lost to world no. 135 Fabian Marozsan in Rome.
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. Fabian mixed his shots nicely, standing close to the baseline and interrupting the rival's rhythm with drop shots and powerful attacks.
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 forge a 3-1 advantage and gain a boost.
The Hungarian produced comfortable holds 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 and momentum. However, the Hungarian broke him at 3-3 and moved 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 to reach a tie break.
The Spaniard led 4-1, but the Hungarian was not impressed! Marozsan claimed the following six points to seal the deal in style and introduce himself to the tennis world. "I did not watch Fabian much before our match. I only saw his results at Challengers.
He was doing fine before entering Rome. Of course, Fabian greatly surprised me with his level. He played a fantastic match, and we should expect him in the top-100 soon," Carlos Alcaraz said.