Sixth seed Sebastian Baez produced a squeaky clean performance Saturday to win the Winston-Salem Open and extend his winning streak to 10 matches after also claiming the ATP 250 event in Kitzbühel three weeks ago.

The Argentine needed just one hour, 34 minutes to defeat fifth seed Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-3 and capture his first tour-level title on hard courts and third trophy of the season.

Despite a marathon three-hour, 19-minute semi-final against Borna Coric on Friday night, Baez showed no signs of fatigue as he stayed patient in baseline rallies and struck the ball cleanly. Lehecka, who was competing in his first tour-level final, advanced to the title match after receiving a walkover from third seed Sebastian Korda, who suffered an ankle injury in the quarter-finals. 

A pivotal moment came when the 22-year-old Baez saved four break points when serving at 5-4 to close a 54-minute opening set. Baez stayed focussed despite trailing by a break early in both sets and won four consecutive games from 0-2 in the second. 

“[My coach told me] to keep going, try and stay focussed on good things,” Baez said. “It was just a bad start, but happy with the result and all of this week.”

Lehecka tried to move forward in the latter stages of the match to apply pressure on the World No. 42, but lacked the consistency needed to down a watertight Baez, who thrilled the crowd with several passing shots to improve to 2-0 in his Lexus ATPHead2Head series with the Czech.

The Buenos Aires native is the first Argentine to win three or more tour-level titles in a single season since Juan Martin del Potro (4) in 2013.

Following his triumph, Baez will move to No. 32 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday, just two spots shy of tying his career-high. He will next aim to maintain his form at the US Open, where he opens against 25th seed Coric.

“It’s nice to have that confidence, but now I have to think about my recovery after this week, and then after I will think about the US Open,” Baez said. “I have a few days to recover and to focus again on a new tournament.”

Lehecka was aiming to become the first Czech to win a tour-level title since 2020. A finalist at last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals, Lehecka will rise to a career-high No. 30 on Monday. He will face Aslan Karatsev in the first round of the season’s final major.

“Hopefully the next tournament will be a bit more happier for me, but still a good week, positive week ahead of New York. A lot of good memories from here,” said Lehecka.

Did You Know?
In 2023, four players have won three or more tour-level titles: Carlos Alcaraz (6), Daniil Medvedev (5), Novak Djokovic (4) and Baez.

Jakub Mensik continued his breakthrough season Saturday when he qualified for his first major main draw at the US Open. The 17-year-old relied on a rock-solid serving performance, firing 11 aces and winning 84 per cent of points behind his first delivery to down countryman Zdenek Kolar 7-5, 6-4.

Turning 18 on 1 September, Mensik is the second-youngest player in the US Open main draw, behind American Learner Tien. The Czech, who will meet Frenchman Gregoire Barrere in the opening round, ousted tour veteran Fabio Fognini in the first round of qualifying before defeating #NextGenATP Swiss Leandro Riedi and Kolar to advance.

In May, Mensik won the ATP Challenger Tour event in Prague, where he became the youngest Czech Challenger champion in history (since 1978). The 2022 Australian Open boys’ singles finalist was ranked outside the Top 800 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings last August and has since risen to No. 191.

Three Americans also advanced through qualifying Saturday, with New York native Nicolas Moreno De Alboran leading the way by saving two match points to survive Belgian Joris De Loore 3-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(12). Despite trailing 0/5 in the deciding-set tie-break, the 25th seed mounted a comeback to make his major main-draw debut. Zachary Svajda cruised past Marc Polmans 6-2, 6-1. Emilio Nava led Eliot Spizzirri 6-3, 3-6, 3-1 before his countryman retired.

What a moment!

New York native Nicolas Moreno de Alboran earns a spot in the main draw with a thrilling three-set win! pic.twitter.com/CgZdkt7coz

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 26, 2023

Frenchmen Hugo Gaston and Titouan Droguet secured main-draw spots. The sixth seed Gaston rallied past Slovakian Lukas Klein 1-6, 6-3, 6-1. Droguet defeated Belgian Kimmer Coppejans 6-1, 1-6, 7-5. Later in the day, Italian Stefano Travaglia ended a possible French trifecta by battling past #NextGenATP Arthur Cazaux 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-1 in three hours, two minutes.

Eighth seed Borna Gojo defeated Czech Tomas Machac 7-6(5), 6-2. Japanese Sho Shimabukuro escaped 10th seed Liam Broady 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

A U.S. summer of success continued for Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow on Saturday at the Winston-Salem Open.

The American duo downed second seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Neal Skupski 6-3, 6-4 in the final at the hard-court ATP 250 for their third tour-level title as a team, all of which have come on American soil in the past six weeks.

Having triumphed back-to-back in Newport and Atlanta in July, Lammons and Withrow did not drop a set en route to the trophy in Winston-Salem, where they also defeated top seeds Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury in the first round and third seeds Hugo Nys/Jan Zielinski in the semi-finals.

Saturday’s victory against British duo Glasspool and Skupski was based on a rock-solid serving performance. Lammons and Withrow did not face a break point in their 63-minute triumph as they won 89 per cent (31/35) of points behind their first delivery.

In contrast, it was a lapse on serve that cost Glasspool and Skupski dearly at the business end of the first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the teams. Two double faults from Glasspool helped Lammons and Withrow break for 5-4, and the Americans made no mistake in serving out to improve to 3-3 in tour-level championship matches in 2023.

Another successful week in their homeland sees Lammons and Withrow continue their mid-year charge towards the qualification spots for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals. The duo, which is now 37-20 for the year, remains 12th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings but is just 265 points shy of Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen in seventh.

Nicolas Jarry’s first-round win at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati was ordinary. The Chilean’s life ever since has been anything but.

Instead of taking the court for his second-round clash at the ATP Masters 1000 event against Alexei Popyrin last week, Jarry rushed home to await the birth of his second child.

“It wasn’t that much of a surprise. I already had said with my wife that if something happened, she would be monitoring herself and the baby already since Toronto. And whenever the doctor said that it was close, I would just get a flight,” Jarry told ATPTour.com. “And the day after I won, she went to the doctor and they told her that it was better if I can go home because it could go any day. She already was having contractions. So that was enough. I went.”

Last Friday Jarry’s wife, Laura, gave birth to their second son, Santiago. They also have a 17-month old, Juan.

“[I got there with] two days, so I had time to be with her,” Jarry said. “I arrived and everything was very, very smooth. She didn’t want to be alone if something happens. So that gave her mental [calm].”

For fans who have closely followed the ATP Tour this season, they will know the Chilean won his first tour-level title in nearly four years in Santiago. Ironically, that is when his family discussed potential names for Santiago.

“It was during the Santiago tournament, the Chilean Open. And we were thinking about the names. My wife said she liked Santiago, she asked one of my sisters. And without her knowing she said Santiago,” Jarry said. “Then she went to another person and that other person said Santiago. It was right before the final of the Santiago Open. So after I won it, she told me this story.

“It was like okay, maybe it can be, but I didn’t want him to have a name after a tournament I won. I wanted it to be a little bit bigger than that. And then she said that Santiago also meant Jaime, that is my grandfather’s name. So it’s like, okay, you have a little bit of everything and that’s a good reason for me to name him Santiago.”

Jarry enjoys bringing his family to tournaments, but they are currently home given how young Santiago is. Jarry, who is at a career-high No. 24 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, has done everything possible to stay close to his wife and children despite being in New York for the US Open, where he will begin his tournament against #NextGenATP Frenchman Luca Van Assche.

“I try to whenever I can always try to give them a call. Always I try to give a good night to my wife before going to sleep and I try to ask them for a lot of videos on whatever they’re doing, to always be engaged or in touch with them,” Jarry said. “For now, it’s been okay, it’s just been a couple of days, so I’m hanging good. I’m hanging okay. Probably in a couple of weeks, it will be more difficult.”

Argentine Sebastian Baez extended his match-winning streak to nine on Friday when he survived a gruelling battle against top seed Borna Coric in the Winston-Salem Open semi-finals.

The 22-year-old, who won the ATP 250 event in Kitzbühel three weeks ago, defeated Coric 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(2) after three hours, 19 minutes. Baez dropped just one point behind his serve in the opening set and displayed all-court coverage as he struck the ball confidently to reach his first tour-level final on hard courts.

“[The crowd’s] energy was amazing,” Baez said in his on-court interview. “Of course [I am] tired, but happy because it was a great battle. Happy to be in the final.”

After a fast start, it seemed Baez was going to cruise in the second set as well. Baez held a 3-1 lead before he suffered a nosebleed that stopped play, forcing him to visit with the physio. He then was broken in his ensuing service game before Coric raised his level to win an exciting one-hour, 23-minute second set.

“I think at that time, the match changed,” Baez said of the nosebleed. “Every point, he was better than me. After three hours, I think I have to take a rest and be focussed on tomorrow. I am happy but I have one more match.”

As the match wore on, both players showed great stamina as they endured lengthy rallies, with Baez often playing deep beyond the baseline. Coric came forward to pressure Baez, but it was the the sixth seed who held his nerve in the closing stages of the match.

Though Baez won his maiden Lexus ATPHead2Head meeting against Coric, the Croatian will have another crack at the Argentine when they meet next week in the US Open first round.

At World No. 35 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, the Buenos Aires native will next aim for his fourth tour-level trophy against Jiri Lehecka, who advanced to the ATP 250 final after third seed Sebastian Korda withdrew following an ankle injury he suffered in Thursday’s quarter-final.

This week marks the first time Baez has won more than two consecutive tour-level matches on hard court. After ousting Daniel Elahi Galan in the first round, Baez has continued his run by ousting three of the Top 10 seeds: Aleksandar Vukic, Laslo Djere and Coric.

Lehecka will be competing in his first tour-level final. The 21-year-old Czech is at No. 30 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, securing himself a new career-high on Monday.

Frenchman Enzo Couacaud rallied from a set down Friday at the US Open to qualify for his third major appearance of the season.

The 28-year-old defeated Italian Giulio Zeppieri 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 after winning 90 per cent of first serve points. Couacaud, who advanced through qualifying at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, will look to improve upon his first-round appearance last year at Flushing Meadows, where he fell to 25th seed Borna Coric in five sets.

Couacaud won his opening-round match in Melbourne before taking a set against eventual champion Novak Djokovic. 

#NextGenATP Dominic Stricker also qualified on Friday, defeating Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-2, 6-3. Fourth seed Taro Daniel cruised past Argentine Francisco Comesana 6-1, 6-4. Finland’s Otto Virtanen pulled away Chinese teen Shang Juncheng 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-1 after two hours, one minute. 

Chinese Taipei’s Yu Hsiou Hsu, Brazilian Felipe Meligeni Alves and Kazakh Timofey Skatov also advanced to the main draw. 

In second-round qualifying action, Belgian Joris De Loore upset Maxime Cressy 6-7(11), 6-2, 7-6(9). Czech Tomas Machac defeated former US Open finalist Kevin Anderson 6-4, 7-5. The 17-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik downed Swiss Leandro Riedi 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4.

After rain forced several second-round qualifying matches to be moved to Friday, the remaining spots in the main draw will be filled upon the completion of qualifying Saturday.

Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow downed third seeds Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski 7-6(4), 6-4 on Friday at the Winston-Salem Open to reach their sixth tour-level final of the season.

The American duo, who upset top seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in the opening round, have not dropped a set all week in North Carolina, where they saved all three break points faced in the semi-finals. Currently 12th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, Lammons and Withrow are one win away from their third tour-level title of 2023, having won in Newport and Atlanta.

“I think we are staying very true to our style. We serve big and we play pretty aggressive,” Lammons said. “We’ve played some tough teams and I think that’s helped us stay really focussed. Had a pretty hard road so far to the final, played some tough guys who we’ve lost to before so I think staying true to that aggressive approach has helped us get here.”

They will next meet second seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Neal Skupski or Marcelo Demoliner and Matwe Middelkoop in Saturday’s final.

What was going on in the van back to Manhattan after Frances Tiafoe stunned Rafael Nadal at last year’s US Open?

The American revealed all in a reunion for Season 1, Part 2 of Netflix’s Break Point. Tiafoe joined countryman Taylor Fritz and WTA star Aryna Sabalenka in studio.

“After a win like that you can play anything. I’m losing my mind,” Tiafoe said. “I can go crazy to Nickleback, it doesn’t really matter. But what was playing, I was so amped up.”

One of the interesting features of Tiafoe’s episode, which covered his run to the semi-finals last year in New York, was his relationship with coach Wayne Ferreira. The South African, a former top player himself, was shown to never get too high or too low, but even he enjoyed his charge’s victory according to Tiafoe.

“He was into it. He was going nuts! He was drinking, he was doing the whole thing,” Tiafoe said. “By the time I got to the car, he was already loaded. I’ve never seen him smile so much, so that was pretty cool.”

The players watched clips from the season during their reunion and Tiafoe was reflective in looking back at the biggest moment of his career thus far.

“Reliving those moments, when you’re in it, it’s definitely a bit different,” Tiafoe said. “But watching them back and seeing it in such high def was just crazy. All the hype around it and just seeing all your dreams come true, it was wild to watch.”

Taylor Fritz and Aryna Sabalenka at the Netflix Break Point reunion in Cincinnati.” />
^{Photo: Peter Staples/ATP Tour}
As special a moment the 2022 US Open was for Tiafoe, it was the opposite for Fritz. The No. 1 American was upset in the first round last year by countryman Brandon Holt. Break Point showed the excruciating moments following that defeat.

“It’s tough but I guess it makes me even more excited to go back to the US Open this year and more motivated,” Fritz said. “There’s a lot more fire. But obviously when they were following me after the match and filming after the match when I was in the car I was like ‘This is tough. This is tough.’ But I also understood this is what you want to see, how I guess a loss like that actually impacts you when you put such high expectations on something.”

Zooming into the reunion were Ajla Tomljanovic, who defeated Serena Williams last year in New York, and her inimitable father, Ratio Tomljanovic.

“Ajla was complaining that I was a little bit off and I said ‘No, sorry that’s me. Sorry, I cannot pretend,’” Tomljanovic said. “Even now she told me I have to behave and I don’t know why.”

Want to know what Ajla thinks about her win over Serena 12 months on? Watch the full reunion video.