Tabilo makes Chilean history with first grass title in Mallorca

  • Posted: Jun 29, 2024

Alejandro Tabilo became the first Chilean man to win a grass-court title in the Open Era with his Saturday victory at the Mallorca Championships presented by Waterdrop. The 27-year-old defeated Sebastian Ofner 6-3, 6-4 to win the second title of both the 2024 season and his career.

“It’s been an unbelievable year,” the fourth seed said post-match. “All the support of all the Chileans at home, my team, my girlfriend. It’s been a crazy year. It’s been very nice, this whole level I’ve been playing. Hopefully I can keep it up and just keep showing what I can do.”

Tabilo will rise five places to a career-high PIF ATP Ranking of No. 19 behind the result, moving one place ahead of countryman Nicolas Jarry on Monday. It will mark the first time since 2005 that two Chileans are inside the Top 20 (Fernando Gonzalez, Nicolas Massu).

“It’s an unreal feeling,” said Tabilo, who was just inside the Top 150 this time last year. “I can’t believe it. Hopefully I can keep on going up.”

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In the ATP 250 final, Tabilo hit five aces and saved all three break points against him β€” including one as he served out the match β€” according to Infosys ATP Stats. The Chilean’s ability to consistently put returns in play kept the pressure on Ofner in their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, with a single break of serve deciding each set.

Tabilo won his final six sets of the tournament and lost just two sets on the week, to Jaume Munar in the first round and Alex Michelsen in the quarter-finals. Alongside Eastbourne champion Taylor Fritz, Tabilo is one of two men to reach finals on hard, clay and grass courts this season (Auckland, Santiago, Mallorca).

Ofner fell short in his bid for his first ATP Tour title. He was denied the chance to join Dominic Thiem as the only Austrian man to win an ATP Tour title on grass in Open Era.

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