This time last year, Alejandro Tabilo was ranked No. 152 in the ATP rankings. He was competing mostly on the ATP Challenger circuit and lost in the final round of qualifying for Roland Garros.
Heading into the start of the 2024 Roland Garros major on Sunday, the Chilean (UTR Rating 15.50) is sitting at an ATP ranking of No. 25, riding the high of his best-ever results by making the semifinals in Rome last week week.
At the Masters 1000 event, Tabilo upset world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the third round by a lop-sided 6-2, 6-3 scoreline.
The 26-year-old backed up that performance and ultimately did not drop a set en route to the semis, before falling to eventual champion Alexander Zverev in three sets. It was a fitting breakthrough result for a player who lists Rome as his favorite city on tour in his ATP bio.
Climbing the Rankings, and Ratings
The 2024 season so far has been a rapid climb for Tabilo, who was born in Toronto to Chilean parents. In his first tournament of the year, Tabilo won six straight matches through qualifying and the main draw to win the ATP 250 Auckland trophy for his maiden ATP title. He became the first Chilean to win a title on hard courts since Fernando Gonzalez in 2007.
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In February, Tabilo made another final, finishing runner-up on his home soil at the ATP 250 on clay in Santiago.
Just prior to his remarkable Rome run, the left-hander dropped his opener in Madrid. He ensured he was in top form for Rome by playing an ATP Challenger in Aix-en-Provence, France – which he won.
Breakthrough a Long Time Coming for Tabilo
While Tabilo has posted some of his best-ever results in recent months, he has been battling for years to reach this point.
In February 2022 he cracked the ATP Top 100 for the first time thanks to two strong ATP 250 results that month – making his first final in Cordoba as a qualifier and the semifinals in Santiago. He hit a high of No. 64 that season before dropping outside the Top 100 again at the end of the year.
After spending most of 2023 competing in ATP Challenger events, he played his way back into a double-digit ranking at the end of the year. And that number has been getting better ever since. As his ATP ranking rises, so does his UTR Rating, going from 14.54 at the start of 2024 to 15.50.
Roland Garros Next
Tabilo, who has yet to advance past the second round at a major, will be playing in the main draw at Roland Garros for the first time – and as a seeded player, no less (No. 24).
With clay his favorite surface, Paris very well could be the site of Tabilo’s Grand Slam breakthrough where he opens against a qualifier or lucky loser and the first seed he could face is No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov.
