What a surprise has been lived this afternoon in Rome. Carlos Alcaraz has lost in the third round of the Masters 1000 in Rome (6-3, 7-6) against a great Fabian Marozsan, from whom probably nobody expected anything, in his first ATP.
The Hungarian showed during the first set that he was not intimidated by facing the next world number one. Bravely, he took the first set. The matter was left out, there Marozsan realized that he could surprise Alcaraz, and said and done. Despite the fact that the Murcian tried to do the same to him, on several occasions, it was clear that it was not working for him.
It was time to put the batteries and look for the comeback. The Spaniard began to feel more comfortable, although his rival did not make it easy for him. If the second set was defined by something, it is by the number of errors by one player and the other.
Marozsan, who until now had won the game, began to accumulate mistakes that little by little led Alcaraz. For his part, the Murcian ended up deranged every time his rival made a drop. He was looking for a comeback, but the Hungarian did not allow him to win easily. The frustration was such that there were moments when it seemed that the Spaniard was giving up the match and that his mind was already on Roland Garros.
Neither of them gave up and they played a very tight second set that the Hungarian finally won after the tie-break that led to Marozsan's victory.
THREE LOSSES THIS SEASON
This defeat, which eliminates Carlos Alcaraz from the Rome Masters 1000, is not the first he has suffered this season. However, the Spaniard came to this match with some very good figures, 30 victories in 32 games. He is the only player, apart from Medvedev, who has exceeded this figure at this time of the year.
In addition to losing against Marozsan this Monday, the Murcian fell in the semifinals in Miami against the Italian Jannik Sinner and in the final in Rio against Cameron Norrie.
Marozsan, The Great Unknown
He has achieved that his name is remembered after eliminating Alcaraz. Marozsan is number 135 in the world, and has managed to gain a place in the fourth round of the ATP Rome 2023.
The 23-year-old has been a professional since 2017, and has accumulated 2 Challenger trophies, both on clay, having lifted the last one last March in Turkey.
The Masters 1000 in Rome is the first in the category in which he makes his debut, after having earned his place with a couple of victories in the previous phase. After his victory this Monday, Borna Coric awaits him in the next round.