The Chilean who loves Auckland

Could we see another deep run from Tabilo?

While his three matches in Hong Kong were "nothing to write home about", perhaps it was because Tabilo already had an eye on Auckland? Actually, Alejandro was supposed to go through qualifying, but shortly before his first match, he was moved to the main draw. He definitely made the best of this fortune, demolishing Ugo Carabelli in the first round. Everything was working for him, and he told us how great he had felt in practice and how comfortable he was in Auckland (including where to eat in the city) ;) While he was unable to defend his title last year (first-round exit to Basavareddy, who played great), things could not have started better now. Well, there is a man who will do his best to prevent this from happening. Darderi had an amazing (clay) 2025, winning three ATP 250 titles in Marrakech and a back-to-back in Båstad/Umag. Once the clay season was done, he faded away rather tamely... injuries and perhaps also fatigue from a huge effort earlier in the season. Luciano was not selected to be a part of the Italian Davis Cup team at the end of the year and instead went to Dubai to train with the other Italian Davis Cup "outcast"... Sinner ;) Now he should be ready for anything that comes in 2026, right?

Both players prefer to face players who are a bit more passive and let them dictate. Now, that won't be the case, since they are both quite aggressive. Tabilo, who has played four matches already and who also has a lot of experience here, is likely to have an advantage. Darderi did play here last year, in a big battle against Borges in the opening round (shocker, I know)... and conditions here should be good for him as well. While he might have gotten a lot from practising with Sinner, he still has to be enable to put that into actual matches, and this will be his first one for the year. Tabilo, being a lefty, could present some additional trouble, especially if he can control the match and keep the ball away from Darderi's forehand. Also, unlike clay, Darderi will most likely be heavily punished if he tries to run around and hit forehands too much here. We are expecting a big fight from Darderi, who should be excited for a new season after a rather long break. However, this does not always automatically translate into a successful performance straight away. Could he be in for a rude awakening...?