Alejandro Tabilo has warmed up for the Australian Open by winning the Auckland Classic. -AP
Alejandro Tabilo will head into the Australian Open on a high after winning his first ATP Tour title with a 6-2 7-5 victory over Japan's Taro Daniel in the Auckland Classic final.
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The 26-year-old Chilean, who is ranked No.82 in the world but is expected to break into the top 50 on the back of Saturday's triumph, raced through the opening set after being locked at 2-2.
He endured a sterner test in the second set, but came through in the end to become the first Chilean man to claim a hardcourt tour-level title since Fernando Gonzalez in Beijing in 2007.
Up next for Tabilo is a first-round match against American Aleksandar Kovacevic at the Australian Open on Monday.
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