Alejandro Tabilo defeated Taro Daniel in a hard-fought match at the Auckland ATP 250 on Saturday to win his maiden tour-level title at the ASB Classic.
The 26-year-old Chilean who entered the competition through the qualifying rounds defeated his opponent 6-2, 7-5 after a thought start in New Zealand.
“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.”
In the wake of his championship run, the Chilean lefty has shot up 33 spots to No. 49 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this week, positioning himself for his first Top 50 ranking. Soon, Jiri Lehecka or Jack Draper will join Tabilo, the first men’s singles player to win an ATP Tour title in 2024, as they vie for their first titles in the Adelaide final.
With six wins in Auckland, including two in qualification, the Chilean has only dropped one set. In order to reach his second ATP Tour final (Cordoba 2022), he defeated sixth seed and Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up Arthur Fils in the semi-finals. He took full use of his chance in New Zealand.
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