Sebastián Báez, from Buenos Aires, 47th in the ATP ranking and fourth seed, defeated Federico Coria (67) from Rosario tonight 6-1, 3-6 and 6-3 and became champion of the fifth edition of the Córdoba Open ATP250 , which concluded tonight at the Polo Deportivo Kempes.
Báez, 22, thus won his second ATP title, after winning the Estoril Open last year, and from tomorrow he will appear in 37th place in the ranking, and is close to the best position he achieved in his career, when in August 2022 it reached 31st place.
As soon as the game was over after receiving the scepter, the native of San Martín thanked those present “for being so hot all week”, while he emotionally recalled that what has been achieved is “thanks” to his team and family who accompanies him, in addition to congratulating Coria for having “a great week”.
The Córdoba tournament, category 250, distributed $642,735 in prizes.
The two finalists in Córdoba showed a high level throughout the week and gave the public an attractive decisive game, in a tournament that gives way to the Argentina Open and that is the start of the clay tour that will continue in other points in Latin America.
A first set that was largely favorable to Báez presaged a quick outcome, although Coria’s best game barely started, resurrecting Coria’s best game, assimilating more to what was shown throughout the week, and thus the game became more attractive.
🏆@sebabaez7 CHAMPION
🎾Winning serve to win the Cordoba Open#cordobaopen #cordobaopen2023 #atp #atptour pic.twitter.com/oJUWfCSsoZ
– Cordoba Open (@CordobaOpen) February 13, 2023
It is that at that start of the game the man from Buenos Aires quickly went 3-0 up, with a break of serve, and did not give a chance to a Coria who was upset, and it could even be thought that the ankle injury he had suffered yesterday in the semifinal against the Spanish Albert Ramos Viñolas he would play a trick on him.
Báez was left with that initial set by a clear 6-1, with all the confidence based on a very solid game, becoming strong from the bottom of the field and with deep and powerful shots that the man from Santa Fe could not neutralize.
As soon as the second set started, Coria showed that he was not passing through on Sunday on the central court of Polo Deportivo Kempes and that he would do everything to win his first ATP title.
Little more than an hour had passed for those first two sets to be fulfilled, and with the brown tables they went out to play all or nothing that decisive set, in which both raised a tough battle.
Night had already fallen and the heat had lost its intensity a bit, and the weather had become ideal for the more than 2,000 spectators present to enjoy a very good show, with two tennis players who, despite the age difference, come in full ascent.
And in that last set the start favored Báez, beyond a very disputed first game with his serve, which lasted more than 12 minutes, he immediately found a break when Coria served, but the Rosario reacted in time and returned the break so that the scoreboard regains parity.
But in the sixth game Báez broke again, playing with authority and conviction against a Coria that was complicated by his own serve (he added five double faults).
The brand new winner clung to that advantage and was able to shout “Give him champion” in an emotional round that the members of his team put together just after the title was achieved.
To access the decisive game, Báez, who debuted in the second round due to being the fourth seed, prevailed in that instance against the Italian Luciano Darderi (140) 6-3 and 6-4, in the quarterfinals against the Chilean Tomás Barrios Vera (212) 6-1, 3-6 and 6-1 and yesterday in the semifinal against Bolivian Hugo Dellien (134) 6-4 and 6-4.
Now, Báez will have a couple of days off to then focus on his participation in the Argentina Open that will begin tomorrow at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, a contest in which he will be the sixth seed and will debut against the Serbian Dusan Lajovic (89 ), while Coria will make his debut on Tuesday against Facundo Díaz Acosta (188).
Thus, in this fifth edition of the Cordovan Open, Báez joined the list of winners made up of Juan Ignacio Lóndero (2019), Christian Garín, Chile (2020), Juan Manuel Cerúndolo (2021) and Albert Ramos Viñolas (2022).
In the doubles tournament, the title was also left for Argentina in this Córdoba Open 2023, because in the decisive game the duo made up of Máximo González and Andrés Molteni beat the Frenchmen Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul and celebrated in front of the public by winning the final by a double 6-4.
