Mariano Zabaleta

Mariano Zabaleta

Zabaleta (left) with Carlos Moyà
Country (sports)	Argentina
Residence	Tandil, Argentina
Born	(1978-02-28) 28 February 1978 (age 38) Tandil, Argentina
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Turned pro	1996
Retired	2010
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	US$ 3,204,127
Singles
Career record	202–213
Career titles	3
Highest ranking	No. 21 (3 April 2000)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	3R (2000)
French Open	4R (2002, 2003)
Wimbledon	1R (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007)
US Open	QF (2001)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games	3R (2000)
Doubles
Career record	12–35
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 174 (7 July 2003)

Mariano Zabaleta (born 28 February 1978) is a retired professional male tennis player from Argentina. He had an unusual but effective service motion. His best shot was his forehand and his favourite surface was clay. Zabaleta's career highlights include reaching the quarter-finals of the 2001 US Open and the final of the 1999 Hamburg Masters. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 21.

Zabaleta was an outstanding junior in 1995 and finished the year as No. 1 with a junior career singles record of 84–7 (also reaching as high as No. 10 in doubles), with his only loss in 1995 being to Peter Wessels in the quarter-finals of the US Open.

Zabaleta won three of the major junior events in 1995. The Italian Open juniors without losing a set against Martin Lee in the final 6–4 6–2 and followed that up with French Open juniors which was also achieved without dropping a set and he defeated compatriot Mariano Puerta 6–2, 6–3 as he had done four times in 1995 and not losing a set in the process. Zabaleta finished his junior career with victory in the Orange Bowl over Tommy Haas 6–2 3–6 6–1 and that was the only set he dropped in the tournament.

Zabaleta struggled inititally with the transition from juniors to seniors. In 1996 he won his first Challenger event in Birmingham, Alabama over Bill Behrens 6–4, 6–4 and his quarter final performance in Bournemouth was his best showing on the main tour.

In 1997, he made the final of the Guayaquil Challenger losing to Tomas Nydahl. In 1998 Zabaleta reached the third round of the French Open as a qualifier and defeated the number 2 player in the world and reigning Australian Open champion Petr Korda 6–0 6–2 3–6 4–6 6–3 before losing to Hicham Arazi. Later in the year Zabaleta made his first semifinal in Amsterdam losing to Magnus Norman and then in November he won his first ATP title as a senior at Bogotá defeating Ramón Delgado 6–4 6–4 in the final.