Italian Open: Tabilo match into last four after dream run in Rome

Alejandro Tabilo extended his dream Internazionali BNL d’Italia run in commanding style on Wednesday, when the 29th-seeded Chilean dispatched Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome.

Tabilo, who upset World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the third round, delivered a display full of confident, aggressive baseline hitting to triumph in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Zhang. The lefty clinched the only break of serve in each set en route to a one-hour, 27-minute triumph at the Foro Italico.

“I can’t believe it right now. I’m still trying to just soak this in,” said Tabilo after his win. “I’m just so happy. I felt pretty good on court, pretty solid. I was just trying to my job and play my best tennis.”

“It’s definitely the best tennis of my life right now, but I was trying to keep a poker face there, because inside I was so nervous,” said Tabilo. “Every time, trying close out the match gets a little bit tighter. So I was just trying to be loose, trying to smile out there at the end, and thank god I served so well at the end. That helped me close out the match.”

Tabilo had won just seven Masters 1000 main-draw matches prior to his Rome run, but he will now play 2017 champion Alexander Zverev or Taylor Fritz for a spot in the championship match. He is the first Chilean to reach a Masters 1000 semi-final since Fernando Gonzalez in Rome in 2009, and Nicolas Jarry has the chance to make it two Chileans in the last four on Thursday evening at the Foro Italico. The 21st-seeded Jarry plays sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in his quarter-final.