OLBIA/STARNBERG, October 15, 2025
Alejandro Tabilo made a winning start at the Olbia Challenger, booking his spot in the second round with a hard-fought victory over Lorenzo Carboni 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) on Tuesday. On the Cloto Arena, the crowd at Tennis Club Terranova witnessed one of the most entertaining matches in the tournament’s history, passionately backing the local favorite until the very end.
The former World No. 19 showed his trademark resilience, staying in the fight and seizing his chance late in the decider to keep his Sardinian campaign alive. On Court 2, Croatia’s Borna Gojo defeated Italian wild card Francesco Forti 7-5, 6-4. Meanwhile, the matches between Justin Engel and third seed Martin Landaluce, and between sixth seed Pablo Carreno Busta and wild card Pierluigi Basile, were postponed to Wednesday.
Tabilo’s Fighting Spirit
Tabilo’s first-round clash in Olbia was anything but routine. The top seed of the ATP Challenger Tour 125 event, currently ranked No. 73 in the world, was pushed to the limit by local qualifier Lorenzo Carboni. The top seed prevailed after two hours and 28 minutes of intense tennis, overcoming an early setback to claim the match in a final-set tiebreak.
Battle-tested in Olbia ⚔️
No.1 seed Alejandro Tabilo edges past Carboni 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 to move onto the second round #ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/jA8ZiUNE36
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 14, 2025
“It was a crazy, incredible match,” said the 28-year-old Chilean. “Lorenzo has a great future ahead of him, and I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about him soon. I tried to keep my focus throughout the match, and I managed to do that. In the first set, he showed how solid he is defensively, and maybe I forced things a bit too much. From the second set on, I focused on keeping the ball in play and building my confidence again — and it worked.”
In the second round, Tabilo will face qualifier Daniil Glinka, who defeated Clement Tabur 7-6(4), 6-3. “These kinds of comeback wins help a lot,” Tabilo added. “Physically, I’m feeling good, which is great, and winning in this way gives me extra confidence heading into the next rounds.”
TUESDAY RESULTS
First Round – Singles
Alejandro Tabilo (1) def. Lorenzo Carboni (Q) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4)
Daniil Glinka (Q) def. Clement Tabur (Q) 7-6(4), 6-3
Luka Pavlovic def. Alexis Galarneau 7-6(4), 6-3
Borna Gojo def. Francesco Forti (WC) 7-5, 6-4
Alex Molcan def. Marek Gengel (Alt.) 6-2, 6-4
Nerman Fatic def. Roberto Carballes Baena (5) 6-2, 7-5
Carlo Alberto Caniato (WC) def. Dan Added 7-5, 7-5
Norbert Gombos (Q) def. Francesco Maestrelli 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-4
Arthur Gea (NG) def. Tom Paris (Q) 6-2, 6-0
Vit Kopriva (2) def. Enrico Dalla Valle (LL) 6-3, 6-4
