(Rome) The Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, who defeated world No.1 Novak Djokovic in 3e tour, qualified Tuesday for the quarter-finals of the Masters 1000 in Rome.
Tabilo, 32e world, took the best in 8e in the final over the Russian Karen Khachanov (18e) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (12/10) after two hours and 33 minutes of play.
At the age of 26, he will play his first quarter-final in a Masters 1000, the most important tournament category after those of the Grand Slam, against the Chinese Zhizhen Zang (56e) or the Brazilian Thiago Monteiro (106e).
At 3e round, Tabilo outclassed Djokovic 6-2, 6-3 inflicting one of the heaviest defeats of his career in Masters 1000.
The Serb felt during this match “completely off base, lacking rhythm and balance”, he explained after his defeat. He did not exclude that it could be linked to the mishap that occurred two days earlier, when a spectator’s water bottle fell on his head while he was signing autographs after his first match in Rome.
Dimitrov pays for his missed opportunities
Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, 10e world, fell in 8e in the final against the American Taylor Fritz (13e), paying the high price for his inability to make his break points a reality.
Dimitrov, 32, lost after 2 hours 43 minutes of play 6-2, 6-7 (11/13), 6-1.
PHOTO GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE, REUTERS
Taylor Fritz and Grigor Dimitrov
If he hit 39 winning shots, he committed 38 unforced errors and eleven double faults, including three in the fifth game of the decisive set.
The Bulgarian also did not realize any of his eleven break points. He needed ten set points to equalize at one set all at the end of a decisive game lasting almost 18 minutes.
He then paid for this riot of energy in the following set where he lost his footing physically.
Already a quarter-finalist in Madrid, Fritz will try to get his ticket to the last four against the German Alexander Zverev, 5e world, or to the Portuguese Nuno Borges (53e).