Tabilo gears up for Australian Open with Auckland triumph

AUCKLAND : 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 on Saturday.

The 26-year-old Chilean, who is ranked 82 in the world but is expected to break into the top 50 on the back of his triumph, raced through the opening set after being locked at 2-2.

He endured a sterner test in the second 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. The year's first Grand Slam begins on Sunday.