Alcaraz upset in Rome

About to reclaim the No. 1 world ranking, Carlos Alcaraz was pretty much pushed off the court in Rome at the Italian Open by 135th-ranked Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the third round on Monday. Alcaraz suffered his earliest defeat since October. He’d won 30 of 32 matches this year and was on a 12-match winning streak on clay after consecutive titles in Barcelona and Madrid. He secured a return to the top spot next week by winning his opening match in Rome. But he was caught off guard by how Marozsan dictated with spectacular play all over the court, including drop shots that Alcaraz had no answer for. “I just didn’t feel comfortable. He made me feel uncomfortable on court,” Alcaraz said. Marozsan posted his first victories over top-100 players in the first two rounds when he beat No. 67 Corentin Moutet and 32nd-seeded Jiri Lehecka. Marozsan will next face Borna Coric, who continued his solid form on clay by beating Roberto Carballes Baena 7-6 (3), 6-1. At the Madrid Open last week, Coric reached the semifinals before losing to Alcaraz. Also, Monte Carlo Masters champion Andrey Rublev defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6 (8), 6-3 and will next play German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann, who beat former French Open semifinalist Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Daniil Medvedev, who hadn’t won a match in three previous appearances at the Foro Italico, advanced by rallying past Bernabe Zapata Miralles 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. In women’s action, Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina beat 2019 French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals and will next face two-time defending Rome champion Iga Swiatek or Donna Vekic, who played late. Also, Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine rallied past 2016 runner-up Madison Keys 2-6, 6-2, 6-4; and other winners included Veronika Kudermetova, Zheng Quinwen and Beatriz Haddad Maia.