ATP Tour: Tabilo topples Monfils, reaches Mallorca final

MALLORCA — 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 [title],” 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.