Baez Battles Past Coria To Cordoba Crown

There is nothing quite like victory at home, as Sebastian Baez found out Sunday at the Cordoba Open.

The World No. 47 prevailed 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in an all-Argentine championship match against Federico Coria on Sunday at the ATP 250 event. Although it was Baez’s fourth ATP Tour championship match, it was his first on home soil, and his one-hour, 50-minute win was followed by an emotional courtside huddle with his team.

“Winning a tournament in Argentina is something very difficult to describe with words, all my friends and family were there, it was something incredible,” Baez said. “I couldn’t find any celebration when the match point ended, I was able to get out what I felt when I got to my team. [My coach] Seba has supported me for as long as I can remember in my career, I am very grateful to him.”

In a hard-fought final, the 30-year-old Coria dug deep in pursuit of his first ATP Tour title, but Baez’s powerful forehand frequently proved decisive in the baseline exchanges. Despite an early exchange of breaks in the deciding set, it was Baez who held firm to add the Cordoba crown to his 2022 victory in Estoril. 

“The balance of the match is very positive, I held [my level] a little longer than him and that’s why I think I was able to win the tournament,” Baez said. “In the difficult moments I played my best tennis and that makes me happy. I knew it was going to be a tough match because we know each other very well with Fede and that’s how it was, but I managed to control the tension, the nerves and I managed to do it.”

After competing at the 2021 Next Gen ATP Finals, Baez enjoyed a breakout season on the ATP Tour last year, and notably on clay. He defeated Frances Tiafoe for his Estoril title while also reaching finals in Santiago and Bastad and pushing Alexander Zverev to five sets in a Roland Garros thriller.

As well as his countryman Coria, the fourth-seeded Baez also defeated Luciano Darderi, Tomas Barrios Vera and Hugo Dellien this week in Cordoba, where he reached the quarter-finals on tournament debut a year ago. This year’s run will lift the 22-year-old 11 spots to No. 36 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday, just five places shy of his career high.

“I’m 22 years old and I’m in the place I’ve always dreamed of,” Baez said. “Obviously I want more but I [will] enjoy it to the fullest. I’m sure I’ll celebrate it with a good ‘asado’ with my friends and family.”