Rio de Janeiro
Is Tabilo a player to watch in Rio de Janeiro? Chilean makes confident start
Fonseca and Melo advance in doubles
February 17, 2026
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Alejandro Tabilo defeats Emilio Nava in straight sets Monday in Rio de Janeiro.
By ATP Staff
Could Alejandro Tabilo be poised for a big week on clay in Brazil?
The Chilean lefty made a good start to his Rio Open presented by Claro on Monday when he ousted American Emilio Nava 6-3, 6-3 in only 63 minutes.
Tabilo is fresh off a run to the quarter-finals at the ATP 250 event in Buenos Aires, where he beat Joao Fonseca. Now the former No. 19 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, a three-time ATP Tour champion, will pursue his first ATP 500 title.
The victor claimed 86 per cent of his service points according to Infosys ATP Stats and did not face a break point against the American. Tabilo will next play qualifier Dino Prizmic or lucky loser Francesco Passaro.
German Yannick Hanfmann also came out of the gates well with a 7-6(3), 6-4 triumph against Brazilian wild card Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva.
“Very satisfied, of course. Getting through a tough first match playing a Brazilian on the centre court is not the easiest task,” Hanfmann said. “I knew that, especially a night session. I served quite well, tried to stay composed throughout the whole match. I knew it was going to be tricky.”
Serbian Dusan Lajovic, an ATP Masters 1000 finalist on clay at Monte-Carlo in 2019, earned his first Lexus ATP Head2Head series win against Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 7-6(7). Altmaier still leads their series 2-1.
Other players who advanced on the first day of the main draw were Thiago Agustin Tirante, a 7-5, 6-3 winner against Cristian Garin, and Ignacio Buse, who rallied past qualifier Igor Marcondes 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. Vit Kopriva also reached the second round with a 6-2, 7-6(5) victory against wild card Gustavo Heide.
In the only doubles match of the day, Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca partnered countryman Marcelo Melo past alternates Roman Andres Burruchaga and Andrea Pellegrino 6-4, 6-4. It was the first tour-level doubles win of Fonseca’s career.
