By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, May 15, 2023
Riding a 12-match red-clay win streak into the Foro Italico, Carlos Alcaraz ran right into a 6’4″ roadblock today.
Unheralded 135th-ranked qualifier Fabian Marozsan flew through the final six straight points shocking the second-ranked Spaniard 6-3, 7-6(4) in a seismic Rome upset.
More: Qualifier Marozsan Upsets Alcaraz in Rome Shocker
The Budapest-born baseliner joined Cameron Norrie and Jannik Sinner as just the third man to defeat Alcaraz in 2023. Marozsan will meet another reigning Masters 1000 champion, 15th-seeded Borna Coric, for a quarterfinal spot.
Afterward, Alcaraz, who will regain the world No. 1 rank next Monday, credited Marozsan for disrupting his game and closing with confidence.
“I used to be good bodily. I simply did not really feel snug,” Alcaraz said. “He made me to really feel uncomfortable on courtroom. I imply, he was aggressive on a regular basis.
“He was playing inside all the time, the baseline all the time. It was tough for me to get into the match, into the rally. I made a lot of mistakes that I usually don’t make too much.”
The reigning US Open champion mentioned he’ll use his earliest exit of the season to relaxation and relaxation for Roland Garros the place he would be the high seed.
“I’m going to rest little bit, some days off for me. I really need some days to reset my mind a little bit, to being fresh for Roland Garros,” Alcaraz mentioned. “Of course, to practice the that’s not secret. You have to practice. If you want to do a good result in Paris, if I want to go to Paris in a good shape, I have to practice, to be better. I couldn’t practice more than three, four days in a row. I’ve been playing so much.
“It’s going to be actually useful for me to have days at residence training and on the point of Roland Garros.”
Indeed, Marozsan, making his ATP Tour-level main-draw debut, more than doubled Alcaraz’s winner output (31 to 15) and stamped five love holds in scoring his biggest career win.
“Obviously today can occur in tennis, and you need to deal with it,” Alcaraz said. “As I mentioned, within the second set I used to be shut, I had my probabilities, however I did not take the possibilities. He was on the similar stage on a regular basis.
“He deserves the win until the last point obviously.”
Conceding he was caught off guard by the qualifier’s lofty stage, Alcaraz mentioned if Marozsan continues to carry out at this stage he’ll shock much more opponents.
“He plays at a really high level. I couldn’t follow his level,” Alcaraz mentioned. “I mean, he was at the same level the whole match. That is very, very difficult.
“I attempt to combat till the final ball, but it surely wasn’t sufficient. Of course, within the second set, it was shut. I had my probabilities at 6-5, 15-30. I might say I may win that set, besides little issues occur.
“Of course, he deserves the win. If he plays at that level, he’s going to surprise more than one.”
Photo credit score: TIZIANA FABI/AFP through Getty Images
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