Author: Barkha Roy
Fabian Marozsan, a qualifier from Hungary, caused a major upset on Monday in the men’s event of the Rome Masters by beating Carlos Alcaraz, world number 2, 6-3, 7-6(4). This victory allowed Marozsan to advance to the fourth round of the tournament. In the women’s event, Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, ranked number 12, secured a place in the quarter-finals by beating Camila Osorio of Colombia 6-3, 6-3.
Despite being ranked 135th, the Hungarian qualifier, who is participating in his first ATP Tour main draw, showed remarkable composure and skill during the clay-court ATP Masters 1000. His confident performance showcased straight punches and exceeded all expectations, beating Alcaraz in the process. In the next match of the fourth round, Marozsan will face Borna Coric, who secured his place by beating Roberto Carballes Baena 7-6(3), 6-1.
On the other hand, Beatriz Haddad Maia triumphed over her South American opponent in a match that lasted 1 hour and 21 minutes. Her. will now face No. 30 seed Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine in the quarter-finals. Earlier in the day, Kalinina beat Madison Keys, the 2016 Rome finalist, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Andrey Rublev extended his impressive run on European clay courts by beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6(8), 6-3 to advance to the fourth round in Rome. In another match, Daniil Medvedev managed to overcome Bernabe Zapata Miralles after a challenging battle, with a final score of 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, marking his first entry into the fourth round. Rublev’s next opponent will be German qualifier Yannik Hanfmann, who beat Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 4-6 and 6-3. Meanwhile, Medvedev’s victory sets up a possible fourth round clash against Alexander Zverev.
Jelena Ostapenko, the former Roland Garros champion, reached her third quarter-final in Rome by beating Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 4-6, 6-0. In a separate match, Elena Rybakina, currently ranked sixth in the world, advanced to her first quarter-final of the Rome Masters with a straight-sets 6-3, 6-3 win over Marketa Vondrousova. The reigning Wimbledon champion will now face either Iga Swiatek or Donna Vekic in the next round.
Zheng Qinwen, seeded number 22, secured her second qualification for the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia with a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over her countrywoman Wang Xiyu. The match lasted 2 hours and 30 minutes. In the next quarter-final, Zheng Qinwen will face Veronika Kudermetova, seed number 11, who quickly got past Marie Bouzkova, seed number 27, with a convincing 6-2, 6-2 scoreline. Kudermetova’s victory required just 79 minutes of play.