For Fábián Marozsán (Budapest, Hungary; 23 years old), red shirt, black pants, like anyone who goes for a run in the afternoon at the end of the working day, Rome was his first tournament with face and eyes in the ATP; Never before had a previous one. At number 135 of the classification, he planted himself in the Foro Italico and sent home the kid that everyone talks about on the tennis courts. Carlos Alcaraz, 20 years old, who will be again number one in world tennis at the end of the Italian tournament, fell in two sets (6-3 and 7-6 (4) against a boy who surprised as much as he surprises the veterans of the courts. It was the third round of the Rome tournament, fifth ATP Masters 1,000 of the season and played on clay and the one that the Murcian arrived full of confidence after winning in two finals of the same surface, in the Conde Godó of Barcelona and the Mutua Madrid Open. But the solidity of the Hungarian forced him to head back home sooner than expected. After an hour and 42 minutes of play and without the brightness to which he is accustomed, Alcaraz could not neutralize the high and intense level shown by Marozsán, who believed in the triumph from start to finish.
Rome is the first tournament of 2023 in which the Spaniard does not reach, at least, the semifinals. The El Palmar was always in tow of his rival, who threatened with a break ball already in the first game. The Hungarian ended up converting twice as many winning strokes (30) as Alcaraz, who did not serve his usual power with the racket, surprised at times by the pilleria of Marozsán, who gave Carlitos to taste his own medicine, with a few left like those that are making the Spaniard popular.
With a lot of self-confidence and without complexes, the Hungarian, number 135 in the world, won the prize of the break in a fourth game that he won blank to put the 3-1 in favor. Afterwards, his legs did not tremble and he confirmed the break with his serve and put the 4-1 on the scoreboard. Alcaraz was disoriented, unable to neutralize his rival's potential. And he did not react in time in the first set, which fell on the side of the Hungarian to take advantage of the first of the three set balls he enjoyed with 5-3 and 40-0 to close (6-3). The second set was much more even, more concentrated the Murcia, vamooooos, shouted at himself, the gaze lost on the horizon. But this time it could not be. Marozsán broke his serve again to make it 4-3, matched Alcaraz (5-5) and between backhands and deadly serves reached the tiebreaker. The still number 2 of the ATP was planted with a 4-1 that seemed defining until the Hungarian began to recover. He had two match balls that he did not waste. And he took the tie-break and with this, the match.
"I've tried to fight, to be there all the time. In the second set I had my chances, I broke and I counterbroke him. I've had my opportunities but I haven't been able to read them, that's what fucked me, it took its toll," said the Spaniard at the end of the match. Despite the disappointment, Alcaraz is already looking to Roland Garros, without remorse. Paris is his big target this clay-court season.
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