The Canadians may have exited the National Bank Open presented by Rogers but a player with strong ties to Canada is still around — Alejandro Tabilo. And guess who he plays next in Montréal? None other than World No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner.
Here are three things to know ahead of the third-round clash.
Tabilo was born in Toronto
Now playing for Chile, Tabilo was born in Toronto and represented Canada as a junior. He landed the national U18 title in both 2013 and 2014, a few years after Milos Raonic won it and just before fellow lefty Denis Shapovalov’s triumph. He told the ATP that he even spent time training at IGA Stadium. Later, he moved from Canada to Florida at the age of 13. His nearest and dearest are with him this week as he competes at the Masters 1000 in Canada for the first time.
“Just being able to live all of this with (my family) has been nice,” he said to the ATP. “I think that’s why this week especially I've been thinking about everything we’ve done a lot more. I’ve talked about it with my dad. For him it’s also so emotional, all of this. He says that just walking on these grounds after everything we've been through — and being here with me also when I was a little kid — and being able to live all this together, it’s really nice.”
Tabilo won his first title in 2024
Tabilo won the first two ATP titles of his career this season.
He opened his account on hard courts in Auckland in January and added to the list in June by winning on grass in Mallorca. In between, he made another final on clay in Santiago.
That made him only the ninth men’s player in the last five years to reach finals on the three different surfaces in a single season, joining the likes of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Matteo Berrettini and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Other notable achievements this season include beating Djokovic in Rome in May for a first Top 10 win on the way to the semi-finals at the Masters 1000 tournament. As a result of his accomplishments, Tabilo’s ranking has gone from no. 85 at the start of the year to its current no. 21.
READ: Getting to know the 19 singles players left in Montréal
Sinner trying new things
Tabilo hasn’t dropped a set in his two wins this week, against Frances Tiafoe and Sinner’s fellow Italian and sometimes doubles partner, Lorenzo Sonego.
Sinner didn’t lose a set, either, in his first match after a bye against Borna Coric. It was also Sinner’s first outing since losing to Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon on July 9. He then skipped the Olympics because of tonsillitis and arrived in Montréal early.
A takeaway from his win over Coric centred on his serve.
“…I have to improve my serve a little bit,” Sinner said. “I'm trying to move the ball around. (Against Coric), I tried some variations, which didn't work as I wanted to, but I know in my mind that that's the right way and the right path, trying to be more unpredictable on court. Yeah, just trying to get better.”
Sinner owns a 23-1 record on hard courts this year, which included seven wins en route to his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
Who is the lone player to beat him? His friend, Carlos Alcaraz, in Indian Wells in March.
Featured photo by: Sarah-Jäde Champagne
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