Preview Chengdu Open Final: Lorenzo Musetti eyes first title in three years against inspired Alejandro Tabilo

Everything is set for the ATP 250 Chengdu Open final, where top seed Lorenzo Musetti will seek his first title of the season against Chile's Alejandro Tabilo, who is having a revitalized week after coming through the qualifiers. The Italian, ranked world No. 9, was the only top-10 player competing for points this week and could make a small leap in the rankings at the start of the Asian swing.

Perhaps even more important for the Italian is ending his title drought this season, as he is the only top-15 player without a title so far. He will also be looking to avenge his loss in the 2024 Chengdu final, where he fell to local star Shang Juncheng, who won his first professional title.

The semifinals were an easy task for Musetti, who showed his class and defeated Kazakhstan's Alexander Shevchenko with a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 victory. On the other hand, the Chilean Alejandro Tabilo remains in a state of grace, reaching the fifth final of his career and his first of the season after eliminating world No. 33 Brandon Nakashima.

Currently, the Italian (world No. 9) and the Chilean (world No. 112) have no previous meetings at ATP level, and both will be looking for their first title of the season. The European is the clear favorite, but Tabilo has strung together several surprises this past week and will be ready to make another big move on this Asian swing.

The Italian has had the best season of his career, reaching the top 10 for the first time and making deep runs in several of the most important tournaments. He reached the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters and the semifinals in Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros. An injury cut his season short in the middle of the year, but he seems to have put it behind him after a good run to the quarterfinals at the US Open and now reaching his second final of the season, just as the Asian swing begins.

There is little doubt that Musetti is one of the heavyweights on the tour in the midst of a great 2025, but he has not yet backed it up with the titles that his top-10 colleagues have. So far, the Italian has only won two titles, both in 2022, at the ATP 500 Hamburg Open and the ATP 250 Naples. Since then, he has lost in four finals—three in 2024 and the most recent at the Monte-Carlo Masters in April of this year.

This will be a great opportunity for Musetti to win a title that would be a confidence booster in the final part of the season and a good number of points as he fights for a spot in the ATP Finals. He is currently 7th in the ATP Race, one spot ahead of Alex de Minaur.

This week he defeated Dino Prizmic (No. 121), Nikoloz Basilashvili (No. 114), and Alexander Shevchenko (No. 96), dropping only one set in his debut against the Croatian Prizmic. He will have the chance to win a title against Tabilo (No. 112) without facing any top-90 players. The Italian has won 8 of his last 9 matches, with his only loss coming in the US Open quarterfinals to Jannik Sinner.

It has been a dream week for Alejandro Tabilo, who came through the qualifiers, including an agonizing match against Lloyd Harris that was decided in three tight tie-breaks. The Chilean has now won six consecutive matches in Chengdu and has been impeccable with his serve throughout the tournament. He has defeated Jordan Thompson (No. 78), Luciano Darderi (No. 39), Christopher O'Connell (No. 103), and Brandon Nakashima (No. 33).

The Chilean has had a difficult year, with a lack of consistency and several injuries that have kept him off the courts. However, in Asia, he seems to be back in form after reaching the final of the Guangzhou Challenger last week and now the final of the ATP 250 in Chengdu. He has now won 10 of his last 11 matches, and Tabilo has secured his return to the top 100 after the tournament.

He is currently ranked No. 84 in the live rankings, and if he wins the title, he will move up to No. 72. This is undoubtedly good news for the South American, who will ensure he finishes the year in the top 100 and will be looking to end the season in the best way possible to start 2026 playing ATP-level tournaments and avoiding the Challengers he has had to play in recent months.