Qualifier Tabilo wins first ATP Tour title in Auckland

Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo claimed his first tour-level title on Saturday at the ASB Classic with a gritty win against Taro Daniel at the Auckland ATP 250. In a 6-2, 7-5 victory, Tabilo stormed through the opening set before holding off his Japanese opponent's charge in a tense second.

"It honestly feels surreal right now. I'm so happy, very emotional," he said after hitting 37 winners, including 10 aces, in the win. "I honestly never thought we were going to be here in the final."

Behind his title run, the 26-year-old lefty has soared 33 places this week in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings to No. 49, setting himself up for a Top 50 debut. The first men's singles player to capture his maiden ATP Tour title in 2024, Tabilo will soon be joined by Jiri Lehecka or Jack Draper, who will compete for their first title in the Adelaide final.

The Chilean lost just one set in six Auckland victories, including two qualifying wins. He upset sixth seed and Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up Arthur Fils in the semi-finals to advance to his second ATP Tour final (Cordoba 2022) and made the most of his opportunity in New Zealand.

Tabilo's final victory made him the first Chilean to win a hard-court tour-level title since Fernando Gonzalez in 2007 (Beijing) and the third active Chilean singles champion on the ATP Tour alongside Cristian Garin and Nicolas Jarry. He is also the first qualifier to win a tour-level crown since Juan Manuel Cerundolo in 2021 (Cordoba). 

In his first Lexus ATP Head2Head matchup against Daniel, Tabilo powered to the opening set behind four straight games from 2-2, leaning on his big forehand to dictate the baseline rallies. The match tightened in set two as Daniel found his range, hitting several passing shots to create three break points across his first four return games. Tabilo escaped a five-deuce game — the longest of the match — to hold for 4-3 and later battled through two deuces to make it 6-5.

The Chilean, who won 15 of 25 net points in the match, locked in from the baseline to earn the decisive break in the match's final game. He created his first break points of the second set at 0/40, and again relied on his powerful forehand to wrap up the win in one hour, 36 minutes.

Better late than never for Alejandro Tabilo's coach 😅@ASB_Classic | #ASBClassic pic.twitter.com/EClfyf8hYP

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 13, 2024

In the afterglow of his win, Tabilo reflected on the journey that led to his first ATP Tour title.

"Last year was tough. Even two years ago, we made the final of Cordoba," he said. "From there we were going up and then I had a little stress fracture on my arm and we had to stop that year. We tried to work back up, but it's been a lot of injuries last year also.

"Now with the whole team, with the recovery, with the food... My family also supporting, my girlfriend also in Chile right now has been helping me so much mentally, and my friends also. It's been a crazy ride."