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

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.

Alejandro TabiloTabilo, 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

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.

Alejandro TabiloThe 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.

Feliciano Lopez Appointed Tournament Director for Davis Cup Finals

Feliciano Lopez’s Cup runneth over…

The 41-year-old Spanish tennis player has been appointed tournament director for the Davis Cup finals, the International Tennis Federation has announced.

Feliciano LopezLopez, who won the competition with Spain four times, plans to end his playing career after this year.

The group stage will take place from September 12-17 in four European cities followed by the last-eight event in Malaga, Spain, from November 21-26.

“I have some special memories of playing in this competition so I am very happy to be taking a leading role in delivering these events,” Lopez said in the ITF announcement. “As tournament director, my sole focus will be to build on the recent success of the competition and make it the best it can be for players and supporters across the world.”

The Davis Cup was included as an official part of the ATP calendar under an agreement last year between the ITF and the men’s tour. Attendance in February’s qualifying events was up 10%.

Spain and Serbia are together in Group C, setting up a possible meeting between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. The Czech Republic and South Korea are also in the group, which will play in Valencia.

The United States will face Croatia, Finland and the Netherlands in Group D. That group will be hosted by Croatia, although the city and venue has yet to be announced. Defending champion Canada is in Group A along with Italy, Sweden and Chile — playing in Bologna. Group B consists of host Britain, Australia, France and Switzerland, and will play in Manchester.

The top two teams in each group advance to the Final 8 tournament. A record 155 nations entered the competition this year.

Lopez represented Spain in the Davis Cup five times and helped his country win it in 2008, ’09, ’11 and ’19.

“He is a Davis Cup legend and embodies everything the competition is about — passion, entertainment and pride in representing your country,” ITF president David Haggerty said.

Lopez became tournament director of the Madrid Open in 2019.

A three-time quarterfinalist at Wimbledon, Lopez is set to play in the grass-court Mallorca Championships beginning June 25.

Roberto Bautista Agut to Face Stefanos Tsitsipas in Mallorca Championships Final

Roberto Bautista Agut is one win away from his next ATP title…

The 34-year-old Spanish professional tennis player beat Antoine Bellier 7-6 (5), 6-2 on Friday to reach the final of the Mallorca Championships.

Roberto Bautista AgutOn Thursday, Bautista Agut upset top-ranked Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to reach the semifinals against Bellier.

Bautista Agut, currently ranked No. 20 in the world, will be vying for his 11th career ATP title and his second of the year.

He’ll face Stefanos Tsitsipas, who beat Benjamin Bonzi 6-4, 6-4 in the second semi final match.

Tsitsipas, ranked sixth, will also be seeking his second title of the season after defending his Monte Carlo championship in April.