MONTE CARLO - World No. 32 Alejandro Tabilo comebacks from a set down to topple wild card Stan Wawrinka, making his 15th appearance at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Monday. Chile’s No. 1 racquet has set a second-round meeting with two-time champion Novak Djokovic.
A windy Monday morning welcomed the players to Court Rainier III, bidding to launch their campaigns at the first Masters 1000 of the season contest on the red clay with a triumph.
A day to remember for world No. 32 Alejandro Tabilo who produced a memorable comeback win over former champion Stan Wawrinka, recording a 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory after two hours and 26 minutes to secure his spot in the second round at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.
Wawrinka, a former champion at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, hit first, cruising past his opponent to seal the opener 6-1 in just 20 minutes.
Displaying a dominant performance behind his serve, the Swiss, who received a wild card to play at the tournament, won 92 percent of the points on his first delivery without facing a breakpoint all set.
As the second set wore on, Tabilo regrouped, raising his level to become the more consistent player of the two, looking to claim his first win on clay in nearly a year - he recorded his last victory on the surface at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia last May.
Chile’s No. 1 racquet converted a break in a highly competitive fourth game.
However, the experienced three-time Grand Slam champion, who turned 40 years old last week, broke straight back and held, setting the level at 3-3.
The former world No. 19 came out on top 4-3, holding onto his advantage for much of the set, finding an edge as Wawrinka double-faulted in a crucial 12th game, stealing the set 7-5 and forcing a decider.
The 16-time ATP titlist committed over twice as many unforced errors as the Chilean player, 19 against 9, hitting three double faults, which cost him high.
In the third set, the 2015 Roland-Garros champion was under pressure as early as the second game; unrelenting, he fended off two breakpoints, outplaying his opponent at the net with brilliance to hold serve.
Unable to navigate out of danger, the 27-year-old double-faulted before being broken by Magnus Norman’s pupil, who quickly shut the door to extend his advantage to 3-1.
It seemed as if the match was turning around for the one-handed backhand player, but then, Tabilo found an extra gear, winning four consecutive games and powering forward to serve for the match.
Relentlessly, Wawrinka pulled off a late challenge, breaking his rival when serving out for the match. Following a battle at deuce, featuring a 12-shot rally, he held to even the scoreboard 5-5.
Regardless, the Swiss player’s efforts fell short against the two-time ATP winner, who, despite facing breakpoints on his serve in the 11th game, went all the way through, building upon momentum to nail a pivotal break, closing out the set 7-5 and the match.
He hit 31 winners against 36 unforced errors compared to Wawrinka’s 39 and 49, respectively.
Moreover, he won 67 percent of the points on his first serve.
He will square off against 24-major champion Novak Djokovic, chasing his 100th career title, a third crown at the Principality.
Tabilo leads Djokovic in their series; their lone encounter dates back to a year ago in Rome when the former defeated the Serbian in his opener on the clay surface.
