2023-08-26 03:03:00
After three hours and 19 minutes, Sebastian Baez came to his first ATP tour final on hard courty sixth overallby defeating the Croatian this Friday Borna Coric by 6-3, 6-7 (4-7) y 7-6 (7-2) in the only semifinal that took place in the torneo ATP 250 de Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Buenos Aires 22 years y 42nd in the world ranking pulled off a hard-fought game against the top seed and will play the decisive duel against Jiri Lehecka (35º). The Czech did not need to play to advance, due to the non-presentation of the American Sebastian Korda, who did not recover from a sprained ankle.
In the week leading up to the start of the US Open, Báez extended his very good streak to nine consecutive wins. To the five reached on the clay of Kitzbühel, Austria, where he was crowned champion against the local Dominic Thiem, he added the four that he achieved this week on another surface, on North American soil.
Báez led 6-3 and 3-1 and had the serve, but had to sweat much more to go to the definition of Winston-Salem.CHUCK BURTON – GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA
Báez served with a 3-1 lead in the second set and seemed on track to win, but Coric broke his serve. After the 3-2 draw, Báez requested the assistance of a physiotherapist due to a nose bleed, but that did not stop him from continuing to fight every inch of the game in that set and the next, with a high level. However, the Croatian came from behind and took the game to a tie break. The tie-breaker had a lot of suspense and the Argentine missed favorable chances against an opponent as seasoned as him.
Joy would come with suspense at the close of another tie break, after battling point by point. In that decisive stretch, unlike what happened in the second set, he was solid to take the lead, hit mini-breaks time and time again and headed for victory.
Even in case of losing the definition, the Buenos Aires native will climb to 35th place in the ranking international. This will be the sixth final that he will star in on the Báez circuit, who will need to recover from the great physical effort to play against an opponent who arrives rested for not having played a semifinal. The Argentinian played almost 200 minutes with plus 30° ambient temperature y 70% humidity. That’s why he barely had energy left for the celebration after the victory.
celebration with relief
THE NATION
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