Tabilo goes back to Fonseca in Bucharest | ATP Tour

Bucharest

Tabilo goes back to Fonseca in Bucharest

His next rival will be Marton Fucsovics

April 19, 2024

Alejandro Tabilo seeks his first ATP title on clay in Bucharest.
By ATPTour.com/es Staff

A little less than a month ago, Alejandro Tabilo suffered a painful defeat against Grigor Dimitrov in Miami despite having been two points away, in the second tie-break of the match, from winning in straight sets. It is curious that the Chilean had been down a break this Friday in the second set tie-break against Joao Fonseca, already two points from defeat in straight sets, but ended up winning in the third.

The 26-year-old left-hander prevailed with sets of 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 against the Brazilian from the #NextGenATP although he lost 1/3 in the tiebreaker of the second set, thus sealing his advance to the semi-finals of the Tiriac Open in Bucharest. But that disadvantage in the tie-break was not the only moment of crisis that he overcame in the match.

In addition to losing the opening set, he saved two break points at 3-3 in the second. And although he wasted a set point with the rest at 6-5 and faced a premature mini-break in the aforementioned tiebreaker, the No. 41 in the PIF ATP Rankings overcame everything to add his 40th ATP win Tour.

“It was a very difficult game. The conditions were tough, very slow. I just tried to stay there mentally. He was playing well. “All this is unreal,” Tabilo said. “If there was an opportunity, I had to stay calm and try to take advantage of it.”

This result allows this year’s champion in Auckland to be one step away from his best ranking, which before this week was No. 39. For now he is ranked No. 38 in the live rankings, and a defeat of Mariano Navone in this Friday’s match in Bucharest and another by Facundo Díaz Acosta in Barcelona would ensure that on Monday he appears, in the worst case scenario, in that position.

Of course, the Chilean can continue advancing. On Saturday he will face the Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, who has just beaten the Frenchman Corentin Moutet with sets of 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. It will be the first confrontation between the two. A victory would represent Tabilo’s rise to No. 36 in the live ranking, and his fourth qualification to a circuit final (1-2 record in championship matches).

In other results of the day, the Frenchman Gregoire Barrere, from the previous phase, beat the Spanish Pedro Martínez with sets of 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4 to secure his first qualification for the semifinals of the season .

His next rival will be Francisco Cerúndolo or Mariano Navone, who will finish their quarterfinal match this Saturday. Cerúndolo won the first set 7-5 and Navone 6-4 the second before the action was suspended due to lack of light.