Alejandro Tabilo Helps Team World Take Lead at Laver Cup with Impressive Doubles Win

Posted on September 21, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Tabilo has helped Team World take a decisive lead at this year’s Laver Cup.

The 27-year-old Chilean professional tennis player teamed up with Ben Shelton to defeat Team Europe‘s Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-1, 6-2 on Saturday to give Team World an impressive win.

Team World just needs two more match wins to claim the Laver Cup a third straight time.

Team World won three of four matches from Team Europe on Saturday to take an 8-4 points lead into the third and final day.

After Friday’s matches were split evenly, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz beat top-five opponents before Shelton and Tabilo claimed their doubles victory.

Team Europe’s only win came from Carlos Alcaraz, the French Open and Wimbledon champion. He beat Shelton 6-4, 6-4 with one break in each set.

Alcaraz saved all five break points he faced. Shelton conceded his first sets in his fifth career Laver Cup match.

Tiafoe, who reached the US Open semifinals, beat No. 5 Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 6-4 (10-5) for the first time in six attempts.

“Midway in the second [set] and in the tiebreak, I felt like I was Roger Federer, honestly,” Tiafoe joked while smiling at Federer, who was in the stands.

No. 7-ranked Fritz, the US Open finalist, upset No. 2 Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-5 for his third consecutive win over the German. Fritz hit 27 winners to Zverev’s 11.

The day ended with Shelton’s and Tabilo’s doubles rout.

The Laver Cup is formatted like golf’s Ryder Cup. The first team to 13 points wins. There are four matches on Sunday, each worth three points.

Alejandro Tabilo Defeats Flavio Cobolli at Wimbledon to Reach Third Round for First Time in a Grand Slam

Posted on July 5, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Tabilo has advanced to the third round in a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.

The 27-year-old Chilean professional tennis player, the No 24 seed, defeated Italy’s Flavio Cobolli 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4), 4-6, 4-6, 6-4 to reach the third round of Wimbledon on Thursday at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London.

Tabilo, ranked No 19, will next face American Taylor Fritz, the No 13 seed.

Tabilo won against Daniel Evans (6-2, 7-5, 6-3) in the previous round of The Championships.

In the first round of The Championships, Cobolli, ranked No 48, edged out Australian Rinky Hijikata (7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4).

Alejandro Tabilo Becomes First Chilean Man to Win Open Era Grass-Court Title at Mallorca Championships

Posted on June 29, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Tabilo has earned his place in Chilean tennis history…

The 27-year-old Chilean professional tennis player became the first Chilean man to win a grass-court title in the Open era at the Mallorca Championships on Saturday.

Tabilo, seeded fourth, defeated the unseeded Sebastian Ofner of Austria 6-3, 6-4 in the final.

A single break decided each set as Tabilo saved all three break chances against him.

He will rise five places to a career-high 19 in the rankings on Monday, the first time in 19 years Chile will have two top-20 players. Nicolas Jarry is the other.

After his second title of the year and career, Tabilo will play local Daniel Evans at Wimbledon.

Ofner follows his first tour final by facing Aleksandar Vukic of Australia at Wimbledon.

Alejandro Tabilo Outlasts Gael Monfils to Reach Mallorca Championships Final

Posted on June 28, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Tabilo is heading to another ATP Tour final…

The 27-year-old Chilean professional tennis player came from behind to defeat Gael Monfils 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (3) on Friday in the semifinals of the Mallorca Championships, an ATP 250 tournament played on the outdoor grass courts of Mallorca Country Club in Santa Ponsa, Mallorca, Spain one week prior to the Wimbledon Championships.

The match lasted 1 hour and 54 minutes.

Tabilo will next face Sebastian Ofner in the final.

Alejandro added to his prize money €34,095 ($36,551) after winning the match. In total, he has earned €82,715 ($88,674) at the tournament.

If he wins in the final, Tabilo will add €59,080 ($63,336) to his earnings for a tournament grand total of €141,795 ($152,011) in total.

This will be the second time Tabilo and Ofner meet. Tabilo lost that match.

With his performance at the Mallorca Championships, Tabilo has made it to his third final of the season and fourth in his career.

As a result, he’ll reach the Top 20 in the rankings on Monday, July 1, 2024.

He has also reached the doubles final with partner Diego Hidalgo at the Mallorca tournament.

Nicolas Jarry Outlasts Tommy Paul to Reach Rome Open Final

Posted on May 17, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Nicolas Jarry is one win away from becoming Chile’s first ATP Masters 1000 champion in 25 years.

On Friday, the No. 21 seed overcame 14th-seeded Tommy Paul, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3, for his third three-set victory in his run to the Rome Open final.

With grandfather Jaime Fillol cheering him on, Jarry regrouped after dropping the second set from a set and a break up. He held his nerve in the final game, saving two break points in between needing five match points to shut the door on Paul and dampen his 27th birthday.

“I was not very happy at the end of the second set,” Jarry admitted to press in the mixed zone afterwards. “I tried to use that energy to push myself and to focus it on my tennis, on what I need to do, and try to play as best I can. That gave me the break and more confidence to continue and to close the match.

“Tommy doesn’t make you feel comfortable on the court, so I made it through and that’s the best thing about it.”

Jarry advanced to his second final of the year, following Buenos Aires (defeated No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in semis)

The last Chilean player to win a 1000-level title was Marcelo Rios at 1999 Hamburg, the former world No. 1’s fifth triumph at that level.

Jarry will look to join him on the Internazionali BNL d’Italia honor roll, as Rios was crowned the 1998 winner when Albert Costa withdrew prior to their final with a wrist injury.

In the quarterfinals, Jarry picked up his third Top 10 victory of the season by ousting Monte Carlo title holder Stefanos Tsitsipas. The boisterous crowd at the Foro Italico was one of the factors in pushing him across the finish line then and against Paul.

“Yesterday and today were amazing. I was hoping it was going to be like yesterday. Yesterday was my first day in the stadium. It was quite a shock. But I enjoy this atmosphere, I like it,” said Jarry.

His nation nearly had two reasons to celebrate on the day, before Alexander Zverev crashed the party. After getting outplayed early, the 2017 champion stormed past Alejandro Tabilo, 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

“He’s a tough, tough guy to beat. Amazing backhand, good serve. He’s playing very good tennis right now,” assessed Jarry about his upcoming opponent.

In turning the tide, Zverev has now won his past 18 matches against left-handers. The No. 3 seed is 21-11 lifetime in tour-level finals.

Alejandro Tabilo Defeats Zhizhen Zhang at Italian Open to Reach His First Masters 1000 Semifinal

Posted on May 15, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Tabilo’s dream run continues in Rome, Italy…

The 26-year-old Chilean-Canadian tennis player advanced to the semifinals of the Italian Open on Wednesday after dismissing Zhizhen Zhang 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.

Tabilo previously defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 16 seed Karen Khachanov earlier in the tournament.

Tabilo’s run at this year’s Italian Open has been nothing short of historic…

In beating Djokovic, he became the first Chilean player in 17 years to beat a world No. 1 since Fernando Gonzalez defeated Roger Federer at the 2007 ATP Finals

He reached the quarterfinals of a Masters 1000 for the first time in his career defeating Khachanov.

He reached the first Masters 1000 semifinal in his career by defeating Zhang and became the first Chilean to reach that level since Gonzalez in 2009 at the same event.

Tabilo will next face No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev, who defeated No. 11 seed Taylor Fritz, for spot in Sunday’s final.

Tabilo will move up to a minimum of No. 25 in the world when Monday’s rankings are released.

Sebastian Baez Outlasts Alejandro Tabilo to Claim Chile Open Title

Posted on March 3, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Sebastian Baez is rockin’ & rollin’ through South America…

The 23-year-old Argentine tennis player completed his South American clay-court swing on a high note on Sunday in Santiago, rallying past home favorite Alejandro Tabilo 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 in the final of the Chile Open to secure his second title in as many weeks.

Last week Baez triumphed at the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro.

Baez has won nine consecutive matches and will climb to a career-high No. 19 in the ATP Rankings on Monday.

He found his best tennis when it mattered most on Court Jaime Fillol, earning 12 of the championship clash’s final 16 games to emerge victorious after two hours and 14 minutes.

Baez’s winning streak appeared in jeopardy when this year’s Auckland champion Tabilo made a quick start in front of a partisan crowd. Chants of “Chi! Chi! Chi! Le! Le! Le! Viva Chile!” filled the air as day turned to night and the lefty moved to within a set of earning his second ATP Tour crown.

Tabilo also was able to draw confidence from the pair’s first ATP Head2Head meeting last year in Cordoba, which he won in straight sets. But one of the key differences in this encounter was how Baez performed under pressure.

When the pair met in Cordoba, Baez saved just one of the six break points he faced. In Santiago, he saved eight of 10 break points while converting five of his 16 opportunities according to Infosys ATP Stats.

After an uncharacteristically out-of-rhythm start from Baez, he locked in from the back of the court for the final two sets. Many rallies were grinding duels from behind the baseline and in those situations, Tabilo was unable to consistently find ways to put his opponent under duress.

Tabilo found his moments and hit some jaw-dropping shots, including a stunning backhand down the line to help him break back when Baez served for the match at 5-3 in the deciding set.

But the second seed was able to successfully ride those waves of momentum and rely on his heavy forehand to control the action. Despite losing serve on the verge of victory, he broke in the next game, hitting a final forehand winner to capture his fifth title since the start of the 2023 season.

Baez is now fifth in the ATP Live Race To Turin and is 16-5 in 2024. He’s trying to qualify for the ATP Finals for the first time.

With the win, he became the first player to win multiple titles during the South American clay-court swing since Cristian Garin in 2020.

Alejandro Tabilo Claims First ATP Tour Title of His Career at ATP Auckland Classic

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

From qualifying to the crown… Alejandro Tabilo is celebrating a remarkable week.

The 26-year-old Chilean professional tennis player wrapped up the most extraordinary week of his career on Saturday when he emerged from the qualifying rounds to beat Taro Daniel 6-2, 7-5 in the final of ATP Auckland Classic, claiming the first title of his career.

Tabilo came through two rounds of qualifying and three rounds of the main draw.

He avoided second-seeded Cameron Norrie in the quarterfinals when Norrie withdrew with a wrist injury and beat sixth-seeded Arthur Fils in the semifinals to reach his second ATP Tour final.

Tabilo then dominated the final, serving 10 aces and keeping Daniel constantly on the defensive with his powerful left-hand forehands.

“It honestly feels surreal,” Tabilo said. “I feel happy and very emotional.

“Even my coach [Guillermo Gomez] didn’t have a visa and we applied in the quarterfinals and we got it yesterday and he came from Melbourne because he was waiting for me in Australia. So crazy, crazy.”

Japanese American Daniel also had an outstanding week as he made his way to a final between unseeded players.

Daniel had only bad memories of the Auckland tournament after being beaten last year in the final round of qualifying in a tournament plagued by rain. His reluctant decision to return this year paid off when he beat top-seeded Ben Shelton in the semifinals to reach his second career final after Istanbul in 2018.

But on Saturday he came up against a player on a roll, hardened by his many matches in Auckland. He fought hard to keep in the match, but Tabilo always was on top, breaking Daniel’s serve in the sixth and eighth games of the first set and the 12th game of the second.

It ended a tough run for the 82nd-ranked Tabilo.

“Last year was tough. Even two years ago we made the finals of Cordoba and from there we were going up,” Tabilo said. “Then we had a little stress fracture in my arm and we had to stop that year and I had to work back up.

“There were a lot of injuries last year also and now with the whole team, with the recovery, with the food, with my family and my girlfriend also supporting me … it’s been a crazy ride.”

Both players now move on to the Australian Open, where Daniel will play Chris Eubanks in the first round and Tabilo will play American qualifier Aleksandar Kovacevic.

Pedro Martinez Claims First-Ever ATP Title at Chile Open

Posted on February 27, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a special first for Pedro Martinez.

The 24-year-old Spanish professional tennis player won the Chile Open clay-court tournament on Sunday with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Argentina’s Sebastian Baez.

It was Martinez’s first professional title.

Martinez lost last year’s Kitzbuhel Open in Austria in another clay-court tournament.

Baez also was attempting to win his first pro title.

Martinez’s path to the title included victories against his countryman Jaume Munar, Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann and Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo.

“I have competed, competed, and at last I made it,” Martinez said. “This is a new step in my career. And I am ready for whatever comes next.”

Baez said he was happy with the week despite his loss in the final.

“In the important moments, Pedro was better than me today,” he said. “Maybe he was more focused. I will work on that and come back better next year.”

Pablo Carreno Busta Helps Lead Spain Into ATP Cup Semifinals

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Pablo Carreno Busta has helped lead Spain into the next round of the ATP Cup.

The 30-year-old Spanish professional tennis player defeated Filip Krajinovic 6-3, 6-4 to secure an ATP Cup semifinal spot for Spain.

Meanwhile, Roberto Bautista Agut completed the group-stage victory over Serbia with a 6-1, 6-4 defeat of Dusan Lajovic later Wednesday in the second of the singles matches.

Spain only needed to win one of the three matches against Serbia to top Group A and set up a semifinal against Poland.

Carreno Busta got the job done in 80 minutes, registering his third singles win of the round-robin stage.

“It was the best match of the group,” Carreno Busta said in a post-match interview. “I am close to 100%. Today I played very well, very aggressively, very solid. I feel very comfortable on court, so it is going well.”

Spain dropped only one set on its way to victories over Chile, Norway and Serbia, the 2020 champions.

Chile’s 2-1 win over Norway in the day session meant Serbia needed to sweep Spain to advance.

Alejandro Tabilo beat Viktor Durasovic 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-1 to give Chile the lead before No. 8-ranked Casper Ruud leveled it for Norway with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Christian Garin.

Tabilo and Tomas Barrios Vera clinched the doubles 6-0, 6-4, giving Chile a 2-1 record in the round-robin stage and leaving Norway 0-3.

Poland reached the semifinals for the first time when No. 9-ranked Hubert Hurkacz beat Argentina‘s Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 6-4 following Kamil Majchrzak‘s 6-3, 7-6 (3) win over Federico Delbonis.

Poland finished the round-robin stage 3-0 in Group D, also beating Georgia and Greece.

“I’m so happy for our team. We’re in the semis, so super proud of that achievement,” Hurkacz said. “We have great team spirit. We support each other. I think the atmosphere that we bring helps us play better.”

Greece picked up its first victory with a 2-0 win over last-place Georgia.

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