"For those claiming Carlos Alcaraz is the favorite for Roland Garros, calm down" - Tennis fans react to Spaniard's shock defeat in Italian Open 3R

The tennis world was taken by storm by Carlos Alcaraz’s shock defeat at the hands of qualifier Fabian Marozsan in the third round of the 2023 Italian Open. The World No. 135 knocked out the Spaniard in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(4) on Monday.

This is Marozsan’s first appearance at an ATP Masters 1000 event and his third ever victory over a top 100 player. Despite the result, Carlos Alcaraz will still reclaim the World No. 1 position on May 22 and go into the 2023 Roland Garros as the top seed. The Spaniard has suffered only three defeats this season, with a win-loss record of 30-3.

Tennis fans flooded Twitter to express their shock at the third-round upset in Rome. One fan opined that people considering Alcaraz the favorite to win Roland Garros need to “calm down,” and until Rafael Nadal retires, he will always be the favorite. Others claimed the result to be the “upset of the year.”

“Finally a player not scared to beat Alcaraz and not let louder Alcaraz grunts distract him in crucial moments. For those, claiming Alcaraz is the favorite for Roland Garros, calm down. Nadal will always be the main favorite there till the day he retires.”

“The Qualifier & World No135 Fabian Marozsan defeats the World No2 & soon to become World No1 Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets!! Without doubt the shock upset result of 2023 so far!!”

One user commented taht this was a “David beats Goliath” moment, while another rued the missed opportunity for an Alcaraz vs. Djokovic face-off in 2023.

Here are more reactions to Alcaraz’s shock defeat:

“To be No. 1 seed in Roland Garros is crazy” - Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz will be top seed at 2023 Roland Garros

Carlos Alcaraz will be named World No. 1 on May 22, when the ATP rankings are updated after the 2023 Italian Open concludes. Despite the Spaniard’s third-round loss, he has overtaken Novak Djokovic in the live rankings, as the defending champion will not be able to add any points at this event.

The 20-year-old, therefore, will be the top seed at a Grand Slam for the first time. Alcaraz himself admitted that it was “crazy” and that he couldn’t believe it, before adding that he was very happy at the same time.

"Well, it's great, to be No. 1 seed in Roland Garros, in a Grand Slam is something crazy. I couldn't believe it years ago, but yes, I am very happy,” the Spaniard said after his second-round victory over Albert Ramos Vinolas.

Alcaraz further added that he would focus on the tournament and his game and try not to think about the ranking.

“It doesn't change too much to be No. 1 or No. 2 seed, I just focus on the tournament, on my game, on every match, and that's something that I try not to think about, but of course, it's something great, to be No. 1," he concluded.