By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Alejandro Tabilo beat Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 6-4 to become the first Chilean since Fernando Gonzalez in 2009 to reach an ATP 1000 semifinal.
Photo credit: Dan Istitene/Getty
Muscular marble statues adorn the Foro Italico and legendary champions reside in the tournament honor roll.
Unheralded Alejandro Tabilo continues imposing his heroic identity in Rome.
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Continuing his dream run, the 32nd-ranked Tabilo topped Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 6-4 to become the first Chilean since Fernando Gonzalez in 2009 to reach an ATP 1000 semifinal.
"It's definitely the best tennis of my life right now, but I'm trying to keep a poker face," Tabilo said afterward. "Because inside, I'm just so nervous.
"Everytime trying to close out the match gets a little bit tighter. So I was just trying to be loose, smile out there at the end. Thank God I served so well at the end. That helped me close out the match."
In a wild tournament that began with both world No. 2 and home hero Jannik Sinner and Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz both pulling out nursing injury, Tabilo has emerged as the feel-good breakout story of Rome.
The Toronto-born Tabilo shocked the tennis world with his stunning 6-2, 6-3 dismantling of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic on Sunday that was one of the most surprising setbacks of Djokovic’s Rome career.
The left-handed Chilean backed it up out-dueling Karen Khachanov 7-6(5), 7-6(10) in the fourth round.
Today, when pressure could have felt even heavier given Tabilo is ranked 24 spots higher than Zhang, he showed little trace of nerves.
Banging deep drives off both wings, Tabilo used the drop shot and drop volley shrewdly to exploit the Chinese players deeper court positioning.
Tabilo stamped successive love holds to open the match, broke for a 4-2 lead and saved to break points as he served out the opening set.
That was really the only source of stress Tabilo faced on serve in a confident 86-minute victory.
Auckland champion Tabilo broke to start the second set and never looked back.
Serving for the biggest semifinal of his life, Tabilo dumped a drop shot into net than floated a high dropper Zhang zapped for a winner to reach 30-all.
That was a temporary speed bump.
Tabilo carved a brilliant drop volley winner for match point then slashed his seventh ace to close the victory in style dropping to his back on the red clay.
In the semifinals, Tabilo figures to be a big underdog against either Olympic gold-medal champion and 2017 Rome champion Alexander Zverev or Munich finalist Taylor Fritz.
However, given the magic Tabilo has conjured this week—-he’s scored four straight-sets wins and won every tiebreaker he’s played—-he certainly has a shot to keep this dream run going and become the first Chilean man to reach the Rome final since Gonzalez in 2007.
Left-hander Marcelo Rios, who like Tabilo played with Yonex, is the only Chilean man to win Rome with his victory coming back in 1998.
If 21st-seeded Chilean Nicolas Jarry defeats former French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas later on, it would give Chile two of the Rome final four.
Tabilo, who lived and trained in the United States from about ages 13 to 18 when he moved to Santiago, Chile, has grown up inspired by Chilean tennis.
After his upset of Djokovic, Tabilo said his father showed him videos of Chilean heroes Nicolas Massu, Marcelo Rios and Gonzalez as inspiration in his younger years.
Now, those retired Chilean champs are in his corner mentoring him via text or, in Massu's case, in person.
And Tabilo is joining them in the Rome record book.
"They were very, very important with my family. I remember always from a young age watching Massu, Gonzales, my dad showing me YouTube videos of Rios," Tabilo said. "It helped me from a young age. Now when I started living in Chile, got to know better Gonzales and Massu, they've always been very helpful, always been there watching my matches, giving me tips, especially Massu who is Davis Cup captain.
"He's always very into watching us and how we're developing. Even Rios sends me messages every now and then, see how I'm doing, always saying congratulations. It's always nice to have that support from everybody."