Cordoba Open 2022: Diego Schwartzman vs Alejandro Tabilo preview, head-to-head and prediction

Match Details

Fixture: (1) Diego Schwartzman vs (Q) Alejandro Tabilo

Date: 5 February, 2022

Tournament: Cordoba Open

Round: Semifinal

Venue: Cordoba, Argentina

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Clay

Prize money: $493,875

Match timing: Not before 6.30 pm local time, 9.30 pm GMT, 3 am IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel

Diego Schwartzman vs Alejandro Tabilo preview

Schwartzman will be looking to reach his 13th ATP final

Top seed Diego Schwartzman will face Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo in the semifinals of the Cordoba Open on Saturday.

Schwartzman received a bye into the second round, where he beat compatriot Juan Pablo Ficovich 6-3, 6-2. He then came back from a set down to see off Daniel Elahi Galan and qualify for the semifinals.

The Argentine began his season at the ATP Cup, where he beat Nikoloz Basilashvili convincingly in his first match. He followed this up by defeating World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas in a tight three-setter. Schwartzman lost his final group match to Hubert Hurkacz following which Argentina were eliminated from the competition.

The 29-year-old entered the Australian Open as the 13th seed and beat Filip Krajinovic 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in the first round. However, he was upset by Australian wildcard Christopher O'Connell in the second.

He has, however, bounced back well in Cordoba, where he is chasing a fifth career title.

Tabilo, meanwhile, lost his first two matches at the ATP Cup to Roberto Bautista Agut and Filip Krajinovic. In Chile's final group game against Norway, Tabilo beat Viktor Durasovic in three sets, before winning his doubles match partnering Tomas Barrios Vera. His efforts were in vain as Chile failed to advance to the semifinals.

Tabilo qualified for the main draw at the Australian Open after beating James McCabe, Constant Lestienne and Elias Ymer. He was beaten convincingly by 31st seed Carlos Alcaraz in the first round of the Melbourne Slam.

The Chilean beat Renzo Olivo and Thiago Agustin Tirante to qualify for the main draw of the Cordoba Open. He then defeated Francisco Cerundolo, Carlos Taberner and Sebastian Baez to advance to the semifinals without dropping a single set.

Diego Schwartzman vs Alejandro Tabilo head-to-head

Saturday's match in Cordoba will be the first meeting between Schwartzman and Tabilo, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0. The winner of the match faces either Albert Ramos-Vinolas or Juan Ignacio Londero in the final.

Diego Schwartzman vs Alejandro Tabilo prediction

Schwartzman will be the favorite to win this match, but Tabilo will pose a stern test. Clay is Schwartzman's favorite surface, with three of his four ATP titles and his only Masters 1000 final coming on the surface. He also reached the semifinals of the French Open in 2020.

The Argentine has a steady baseline game and a fantastic return of serve. His movement on clay is among the best, and opponents find it extremely hard to win cheap points against Schwartzman.

Tabilo, for his part, will have to serve well and stay aggressive from the back of the court to try and keep the Argentine on the backfoot. However, he lacks the weapons to hit through Schwartzman, who should be able to advance to the final of the Cordoba Open.