Is Alejandro Tabilo a player to watch in Rio de Janeiro? Chilean makes confident start | ATP Tour

Rio de Janeiro

Is Tabilo a player to watch in Rio de Janeiro? Chilean makes confident start

Fonseca and Melo advance in doubles

February 17, 2026

Could Alejandro Tabilo be poised for a large week on clay in Brazil?

The Chilean lefty made a good start to his Rio Open presented by Claro on Monday when I’ve you American Emilio Nava 6-3, 6-3 in solely 63 minutes.

Tabilo is recent off a run to the quarter-finals on the ATP 250 occasion in Buenos Aires, the place he beat Joao Fonseca. Now the previous No. 19 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, a three-time ATP Tour champion, will pursue his first ATP 500 title.

The victor claimed 86 per cent of his service factors in accordance to Infosys ATP Stats and didn’t face a break level towards the American. Tabilo will subsequent play qualifier Dino Prizmic or fortunate loser Francesco Passaro.

German Yannick Hanfmann additionally got here out of the gates properly with a 7-6(3), 6-4 triumph towards Brazilian wild card Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva.

“Very satisfied, of course. Getting through a tough first match playing a Brazilian on the center court is not the easiest task,” Hanfmann mentioned. “I knew that, especially a night session. I served quite well, tried to stay composed throughout the whole match. I knew it was going to be complicated.”

Serbian Dusan Lajovican ATP Masters 1000 finalist on clay at Monte-Carlo in 2019, earned his first Lexus ATP Head2Head sequence win towards Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 7-6(7). Altmaier nonetheless leads their sequence 2-1.

Other gamers who superior on the primary day of the primary draw have been Thiago Agustin Tiranteto 7-5, 6-3 winner towards Christian Garinand Ignacio Busewho rallied previous qualifier Igor Marcondes 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. Vit Kopriva additionally reached the second spherical with a 6-2, 7-6(5) victory towards wild card Gustavo Heide.

In the one doubles match of the day, Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca partnered countryman Marcelo Melo previous alternates Roman Andrew Burruchaga and Andrea Pellegrino 6-4, 6-4. It was the primary tour-level doubles win of Fonseca’s profession.