Incoming world number one Carlos Alcaraz suffered his earliest exit in a tournament since October when he was beaten by Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan in the Italian Open last 32.<\/span><\/p>\n Spain’s Alcaraz, who will replace Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings after the event, lost 6-3 7-6 (7-4).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n It was only the 20-year-old’s second defeat in 22 matches on clay in 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n Marozsan, ranked 135th, had never played in the main draw of an ATP Tour event until this week in Rome.<\/span><\/p>\n But the 23-year-old looked full of confidence and unfazed by his opponent, hitting 24 winners and making just 13 unforced errors.<\/span><\/p>\n He will play Croatia’s Borna Coric in the fourth round after completing one of the biggest ATP upsets in recent years.<\/span><\/p>\n Second seed Alcaraz had won his past 12 matches on clay, having won back-to-titles titles in Barcelona and Madrid, and is considered one the favourites to win the French Open, which starts on 28 May.<\/span><\/p>\n “He surprised me a lot, his level was really high and I’m sure he will break the top 100 very soon,” said Alcaraz.<\/span><\/p>\n “I didn’t play very well but he played at a high level and I couldn’t follow it.”<\/span><\/p>\n Marozsan caused problems for Alcaraz, who made a high number of uncharacteristic errors, with his powerful forehand and cute drop-shots.<\/span><\/p>\n Alcaraz saved a break point at 5-5 in the second set which would have left Marozsan serving for the match, and led 4-1 in the resulting tie-break.<\/span><\/p>\n It looked as though the US Open champion might force a decider despite being second best throughout, but Marozsan stayed cool and fought back by winning the next six points.<\/span><\/p>\n “It is not easy to say something. I am very happy. It was my dream last night,” Marozsan told Amazon Prime.<\/span><\/p>\n “I tried to do something special, win a few games or a set and I’ve just beaten the world number one.<\/span><\/p>\n “I can’t believe it. Everything was perfect today.”<\/span><\/p>\n Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, seeded seventh, moved into the women’s singles quarter-finals with a 6-3 6-3 win against Czech Marketa Vondrousova, who was the French Open runner-up in 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, 23, has reached her first clay-court quarter-final since Roland Garros in 2021 and could play Poland’s world number one Iga Swiatek in the last eight.<\/span><\/p>\n Swiatek, 21, faces Croatian 21st seed Donna Vekic in the last 16 later on Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n In the men’s draw, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev recovered from a slow start to win 3-6 6-1 6-3 against Spain’s Bernabe Zapata Miralles.<\/span><\/p>\n Former world number one Medvedev, seeded third, had never won a match in Rome before this year but is now into the last 16.<\/span><\/p>\n “I’m definitely playing my best tennis on clay right now, I’m feeling great,” said Medvedev, who has struggled on the surface in the past.<\/span><\/p>\n Russian sixth seed Andrey Rublev won the Monte Carlo title last month and continued his fine form on clay by beating Spanish 27th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6 (10-8) 6-3.<\/span><\/p>\nWhat else happened in Rome?<\/h3>\n
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