Carlos Alcaraz defeated at Italian Open by 135th-ranked Hungarian qualifier Marozsan

Carlos Alcaraz didn’t see this one coming. How could he have?

About to reclaim the No. 1 ranking, Alcaraz was pretty much pushed off the court 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. “He was aggressive all the time.”

The result means Alcaraz will go into the French Open — which starts in less than two weeks and where he will be the top seed — coming off a dispiriting defeat.

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.

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.