Carlos Alcaraz crashed to a humbling 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) defeat by Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan in the third round of the Italian Open on Monday as his quest for a third straight title on clay before the French Open ended in disappointment.
The 20-year-old had come into the tournament on the back of triumphs in Barcelona and Madrid and will replace Novak Djokovic as the world No. 1 for top billing at Roland Garros which begins later this month.
But Alcaraz was far from his best and got off to a shaky start in his second match in Rome, dropping serve to love in the fourth game as world No. 135 Marozsan built a big lead and dominated the late exchanges to easily win the opening set.