Alejandro Tabilo has upset second seed Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals of the Mubadala DC Open on Friday, August 1, rallying from a set down to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. The Chilean, ranked 30th in the world, reaches his first ATP 500 semifinal on hard court and secures his fourth career top-10 victory.
A decisive turning point in the second set
After dropping the opening set to a dominant Shelton, whose serve proved virtually unreturnable in the first six games, Tabilo found his footing in a tense second set. The pivotal moment came at 4-4 on the Chilean's serve, where he saved four consecutive break points before breaking Shelton to close out the set 7-5. The shift in momentum clearly unsettled the American, who had looked poised to cruise to the semifinals.
A tweener for the ages
At 3-3 in the decider, Tabilo produced the shot of the match: a tweener lob winner that brought the crowd at the William H.G. FitzGerald Stadium to its feet in a standing ovation. The spectacular shot, immediately drawing comparisons to the best plays of the season, appeared to shatter Shelton's composure for good. Tabilo broke serve in the following game and converted his second match point to seal a 6-4 third-set victory.
Explosive semifinals on Saturday in Washington
Tabilo will face 19-year-old Rafael Jódar in the semifinals after the Spaniard staged an impressive comeback against fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti (1-6, 6-1, 6-4). Jódar, who was ranked beyond 600th in the world just a year ago before climbing to 22nd on the ATP rankings, continues to confirm his status as the breakthrough player of the season. On the other side of the draw, Taylor Fritz, the third seed and last remaining favorite, will take on Brandon Nakashima, who ousted top seed Alex de Minaur in straight sets (7-6, 6-4).
