Marcelo Rios defeated Mariano Zabaleta 6-3 7-6 in the Santiago round of 16 on clay. The upset overturned the form book — Mariano Zabaleta came in leading the head-to-head 4–1. Marcelo Rios narrowed the head-to-head to 4–2.
| Date | Tournament | Round | Surface | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-02-18 | Buenos Aires | R16 | clay | Mariano Zabaleta | 7-6 1-6 6-3 |
| 2002-02-11 | Vina del Mar | R32 | clay | Mariano Zabaleta | 6-4 7-6 |
| 2000-09-18 | Sydney Olympics | R64 | hard | Mariano Zabaleta | 6-7 6-4 7-5 |
| 2000-03-13 | Indian Wells Masters | R32 | hard | Mariano Zabaleta | 7-6 6-3 |
| 1999-05-03 | Hamburg Masters | F | clay | Marcelo Rios | 6-7 7-5 5-7 7-6 6-2 |
Averages over each player's completed matches in the selected window (200 vs 200). ATP, WTA & Challenger.
Each player's serve crossed against the other's return, converted to expected hold of serve. Recent completed matches, ATP, WTA & Challenger. About