By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday January 13, 2023
Jiri Lehecka and Alejandro Tabilo became the ATP's first two maiden title winners on Saturday.
Photo Source: Getty
It took all of the 2023 ATP season for six players to earn the first-time titles on tour. On Saturday across Auckland and Adelaide, the first two maiden title winners were already crowned, as Alejandro Tabilo and Jiri Lehecka won titles.
First-time title winners in 2023, ATP Tour:
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Tallon Griekspoor, Pune
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Wu Yibing, Dallas
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Arthur Fils, Lyon
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Christopher Eubanks, Mallorca
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Pedro Cachin, Gstaad
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Ben Shelton, Tokyo
Tabilo, a qualifier from Chile, became the first man from his country to win a hard court title since Fernando Gonzalez in 2007 as he defeated Taro Daniel for the title, 6-2, 7-5.
"It honestly feels surreal right now. I'm so happy, very emotional," Tabilo said after the win. "I honestly never thought we were going to be here in the final."
Tabilo, a clever left-hander who is Toronto-born, will make his Top 50 debut next week thanks to his efforts.
He hit 37 winners in the match to survive a late push from Daniel, who was the first Japanese player to ever reach the Auckland final.
Tabilo is the first qualifier to win an ATP title since 2021.
In Adelaide, Jiri Lehecka won a battle of rising 22-year-olds in three sets, defeating Great Britain’s Jack Draper, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 for his first title.
Lehecka held his ground in a tight third set, saving three break points from 3-1, 0-40, to hang on for the win.
“It’s hard for me to say something, because it is so emotional for me to win my first title here in Adelaide,” Lehecka said.
The Czech becomes the first man from his country to claim an ATP title since 2020. He will rise to a career-high ranking of 23, making him the first Czech man to hold a Top 25 ranking since Tomas Berdych in 2018.
Lehecka will face Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the first round at the Australian Open; Tabilo will face American qualifier Aleks Kovacevic.