Tabilo Outlasts Fonseca in Buenos Aires Drama
Alejandro Tabilo turns Joao Fonseca’s title defense into a gritty defeat on the red clay of the IEB+ Argentina Open, blending smart play with endurance in a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 second-round battle that signals the Chilean’s rising clay threat.
On the sun-baked courts of the IEB+ Argentina Open, Alejandro Tabilo scripted a tense comeback against defending champion Joao Fonseca, securing a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 victory that amplified the Brazilian’s rocky 2026 start. The Chilean absorbed Fonseca’s explosive groundstrokes, letting a break slip at 3-1 in the third before capitalizing on 33 unforced errors to close out the two-hour, 24-minute affair on his third match point. Tabilo’s baseline solidity—heavy topspin crosscourts forcing defensive lobs—wore down the 19-year-old’s power game, echoing the endurance tests of South American clay swings.
“I was very connected with the team. They helped me through it all,” Tabilo said. “A lot of nerves at the end, but I feel like we played a very good game, very smart tactics and just outlasted him. I knew he was going to come out swinging and I just had to be very solid.”
Fonseca falters amid mounting pressure
Fonseca, returning from a lower back injury that sidelined him in Brisbane and Adelaide before a first-round exit at the Australian Open, unleashed blistering down-the-line forehands to level the sets but couldn’t sustain the assault on the gripping surface. His aggressive one–two patterns, effective in quicker conditions, led to overhitting as Tabilo varied depths with underspin slices, disrupting rhythm and drawing errors in extended rallies. The weight of defending his maiden tour title from a year ago, plus hometown expectations, amplified every miscue, pushing the former Next Gen ATP Finals champion toward regrouping at the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro next week.
This marked Tabilo’s first Top-50 clay win since upsetting No. 5 Novak Djokovic in the second round at the ATP 1000 event Monte-Carlo last April, boosting his confidence against seeded foes. He converted 77 per cent of first-serve points (40/52) and saved 57 per cent of break points faced (4/7), stats that underscore his growing efficiency on dirt. Advancing to face seventh seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the quarterfinals, the Chilean eyes a deeper run where his ball-striking can exploit any fatigue.
Tabilo channels composure from past upsets
Tabilo drew on that Djokovic blueprint, using inside-in backhands to wrong-foot Fonseca during key holds and mixing low slices to neutralize flat-hitting assaults. The decider’s momentum swung back when he reclaimed the break, feeding crosscourt topspin to pin the Brazilian deep and set up passing shots. Nerves peaked on match point, but sideline cues from his team steadied the resolve, turning a potential slip into a calculated finish that highlights his tactical adaptability.
The victory not only extends Fonseca’s early-season struggles but reinforces Tabilo’s poise in high-stakes clay duels, where outlasting power players becomes the edge. As the Buenos Aires crowd shifted from roars for the local hero to murmurs of respect, it set the stage for Tabilo to build on this grit against Etcheverry’s topspin-heavy defense.
Quarterfinals promise clay-court intensity
Top seed Francisco Cerundolo dominated Hugo Dellien in a 6-0, 7-6(6) tale of contrasts, saving eight set points—including a 3/6 tiebreak comeback and clutch holds at 4-5 and 5-6—to reach his sixth Buenos Aires quarterfinal in seven years. The 27-year-old Argentine’s explosive forehands and timely lobs preserved the straight-sets win on home soil, where crowd energy fuels his baseline fire. He next faces Vit Kopriva, who dispatched eighth seed Matteo Berrettini 6-4, 6-3 in the Italian’s season debut after an abdominal injury forced his Australian Open withdrawal, marking the first Czech quarterfinalist in tournament history.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry rallied past fellow Argentine Roman Andres Burruchaga 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-4, saving a set point in the opener to notch his 50th tour-level clay-court victory and build toward an all-South American clash. Mariano Navone cruised 6-2, 6-1 over Emilio Nava, extending his strong form on these courts with precise returns and steady groundstrokes. As the draw tightens under the porteño sun, these results emphasize tactical depth over raw pace, with Tabilo’s endurance poised to test the bracket’s depth in upcoming battles that could redefine 2026 momentum on clay.
