The ATP Chengdu Open produced a stunning upset as Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo saved two championship points to topple top seed Lorenzo Musetti in a tense third-set tiebreak.
Tabilo stormed through the first set 6-3, firing aces and unreturnable serves to seize early control.
Italy’s world No.9 Musetti, who lost last year’s final to Shang Juncheng of the Chinese mainland, roared back to win the second set 6-2 after Tabilo double faulted at a key moment.
The decider was a rollercoaster. Musetti led 6-5 and held two match points, but nerves crept in, and both opportunities slipped away.
In the tiebreak, Tabilo pushed forward, claimed a decisive net point and broke Musetti’s serve, sealing a 7-5 breaker and a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 victory.
The 28-year-old clay-court specialist collapsed on the hard court, elated by his third ATP 250 title. His ranking soared 40 places to world No.72, marking one of the season’s most memorable breakthroughs.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
