Mallorca (Spain), June 28 (IANS) Alejandro Tabilo of Chile continued his superb run in the season, advancing to his third final of the year Friday when he rallied past Frenchman Gael Monfils 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(3) at the Mallorca Championships.
The 27-year-old joins Jaime Fillol Sr. as the only Chilean man in the Open Era to reach tour-level finals on clay, grass and hard courts. A champion in Auckland and runner-up in Santiago, Tabilo is the first Chilean to reach three ATP Tour finals in a single season since Cristian Garin in 2019.
“I couldn’t have even imagined the first week of the year, winning my first ATP ATP Tour: Tabilo topples Monfils, reaches Mallorca final,” Tabilo said. “We are here now and hopefully we can keep going with this level.”
On Friday, the fourth seed recovered from a slow start, leaning on his serve and forehand to dig him out of trouble. After going a double break down in the opening set, Tabilo quickly regrouped and did not drop a point behind his first serve in the second set. The lefty frequently moved forward in critical moments, winning 20/26 net points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Up four spots to No. 20 in the ATP Live Rankings, Tabilo is set for a new career-high on Monday. He will face British qualifier Paul Jubb or Austrian Sebastian Ofner in Saturday’s final. Tabilo is also in the Mallorca doubles final with partner Diego Hidalgo.
–IANS
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