Eliminated in the round of 16: Alejandro Tabilo bids farewell to the Argentina Open

The adventure of Alejandro Tabilo (54th) in Buenos Aires ends in the round of 16. The national tennis player could not add a second victory in the Argentine capital and said goodbye when he fell. against the Serbian Dusan Lajovic (58th) 4-6, 6-1 and 1-6 . His South American journey will continue in Rio de Janeiro, where he will compete in his first ATP 500 of the season.

The venue was nothing less than the main court of the tournament. The historic Guillermo Vilas Courthouse, where the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Train passes every few minutes over one of the springs. A unique postcard in the world, which had the Chilean as the protagonist of the second team of the day.

He shared the covers with one of the European actors most present on the South American tour. Over the years, Lajovic has become a specialist on the region’s slopes, reaching the final of the Argentina Open in 2023 . That season he also made his debut in Santiago, where he lost in the quarter-finals against Tomas Etcheverry.

This knowledge, added to a very regular style of play, made the challenge difficult for the second best tennis player in the country, who started the duel a set behind. This first round was 6-4 in favor of the Serb, who before his visit to Argentina had been eliminated in the first round of the Australian Open.

Of course, in Buenos Aires he found a great way. To begin with, for having eliminated Arthur Fils from the beginning, eighth seed in the tournament and runner-up in the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals. He repeated this level during this second round, despite a drop in play after the first round.

This change was taken advantage of by the new ATP champion from Auckland, who showed his best version at that time. Solid in long paddles and precise on forehands, he quickly takes the lead , generating the illusion of seeing him add another victory in the Argentine capital. Many thought he would reproduce the level he showed on Tuesday by beating Yannick Hanfmann (56th) 6-1, 6-3.

Even more so when Jano closed this set 6-1. Lajovic himself said after the match that at that moment he lost his concentration due to the strong support of the domestic fans for the left-hander, who throughout the match chanted and shouted in favor of the Chilean.

But the European restarted and punished Tabilo from the start, who suddenly found himself down. This third set was so unfavorable that It was even 0-4 at one point in the match. . In the end, the defeat was 6-1, bidding him farewell in the round of 16 of his first South American tournament, since last week he had left Córdoba to enjoy the post-Davis Cup rest. In any case, his victory against Hanfmann in the first round gives him a good chance of returning to the Top 50.