Alejandro Tabilo delivered another stunning performance against Novak Djokovic on Wednesday, defeating the world No. 1 in straight sets at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The Chilean cruised to a 6-3, 6-4 victory in the second round, improving his head-to-head record against Djokovic to 2-0.
The match marked Djokovic’s first appearance on clay since winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. However, the Serbian veteran struggled to find his rhythm and committed 14 unforced errors in the opening set. Tabilo took full advantage, staying calm in key moments to secure one of the biggest wins of his career.
“It’s been a tough year, so I had some nerves,” Tabilo said after the match. “But I remembered what worked last time, and my serve really helped. It was an unreal match.”
This isn’t the first time Tabilo has gotten the better of Djokovic. The 27-year-old also defeated the 24-time Grand Slam champion last year in Rome, where he dropped just five games. That win led him to his best-ever run at a Masters 1000 event, reaching the semi-finals.
Wednesday’s win also followed Tabilo’s first-round victory over former champion Stan Wawrinka. It marks the first time since August that the Chilean has recorded back-to-back wins at tour level.
Djokovic, 37, recently finished runner-up in Miami and was aiming for his 100th career title. A two-time winner in Monte-Carlo, he couldn’t match Tabilo’s flat hitting and failed to convert his only break points of the second set in the eighth game.
Elsewhere in Monte-Carlo, eighth seed Alex de Minaur rallied from a set down to defeat Tomas Machac 3-6, 6-0, 6-3. The Australian, a quarter-finalist last year, is still in search of his first title this season. He will face Daniil Medvedev next and could meet Tabilo in the quarter-finals.
Tabilo will next play Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov, who survived a tough test from Monegasque wild card Valentin Vacherot. Dimitrov lost the first set but came back strong to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Meanwhile, ninth seed Medvedev overcame Alexandre Muller in a dramatic two-hour and 50-minute battle. Despite blowing a 5-3 lead in the second set, Medvedev recovered in the decider to win 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-2. The Russian is competing outside the Top 10 for the first time in two years and is still looking for his first title since winning in Rome last year.
Did You Know?
Tabilo is now one of just three players to have faced Djokovic multiple times without losing. The other two are Marat Safin and Jiri Vesely.
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