ATP 500 RIO OPEN. Brasil. By Leo Canaparo
In the final, he did not struggle too much to defeat the Frenchman Alexandre Muller 6-2, 6-3, the tournament’s biggest revelation, who had previously beaten local young star Joao Fonseca and three more Argentinians: Fran Cerundolo, Tomás Etcheverry, and Francisco Comesaña.
Sebastián Báez dropped only two sets throughout the week to defend his 500 ranking points and claim the seventh ATP title of his professional career.
On his way to the title, he had to defeat three fellow Argentinians: In the first round, he overcame Roman Andrés Burruchaga (6-3, 7-5); in the second round, he beat Mariano Navone (6-4, 1-6, 6-3); and in the semifinals, he staged a comeback against Camilo Ugo Carabelli, winning 3-6, 6-1, 6-1. In the quarterfinals, he also defeated Taiwanese player Chun-Hsin Tseng 6-4, 6-1.
With his title in Rio de Janeiro, Sebastián Báez becomes the first player to win the tournament twice, something Carlos Alcaraz couldn’t achieve in 2023. He is also the second Argentinian to claim the title, following Diego Schwartzman in 2018.