Argentines Mariano Navone and Sebastián Báez to Face Off in ATP 500 Final in Rio de Janeiro

Mariano Navone does not want to wake up from his dream in Rio de Janeiro. The native of 9 de Julio registered the hit of the day after comfortably beating the current champion, Cameron Norrie, 6-4 and 6-2, a result that catapulted him to his first ATP final at the age of 22. In that instance, he will face his compatriot, Sebastián Báez, from 5:30 p.m. (Argentine time), who eliminated Francisco Cerúndolo 7-5 and 6-0.

Navone, 113th in the world ranking, had an outstanding victory against the favorite to defend the crown obtained in 2023, beating Carlos Alcaraz in that edition. The Argentine’s great moment helped take Norrie off the field and consolidated an excellent present on clay, as he will go in search of giving himself the best birthday present (he will turn 23 on February 27): winning his first title in the professional circuit after winning five Challengers in 2023.

His victory against the 23rd in the world will make him climb positions in the ranking because he has already passed the threshold of the Top 100 and, if he is runner-up, he will climb among the 60 best on a preliminary basis, although if he lifts the trophy he will be one step away from the Top 40 in a tournament marked by first times. He surpassed his first Qualification in an ATP 500, in turn first with this score threshold, after beating the local Mateus Alves (390) and the Argentine Genaro Olivieri (174) in the Qualy in straight sets, he won his first ATP match and Now, I celebrate for the first time against a tennis player ranked among the 50 best.

In a conversation with the journalist, Danny Miche, he declared: “A tournament can change your life, what cannot change is what I have been doing and working on. There are things that one cannot leave to chance. Very happy to be among the best 60 in the world. I make a physical and mental effort and I am playing tennis very well at times, there were also moments when I had to suffer. It leaves me calm that I continue to play well and I am ready to continue for more.”

Next, he favoritism for Báez, who will play in his seventh ATP final: “He is much more favorite than me, he is 25th in the world, he won many ATP, but tomorrow it will be 50 and 50. Each one will do their own thing, but it is important that he has a high level in the ATP. “I go in search of that, because there has to be a first time.”

The Argentines Navone and Báez will be face to face this Sunday for the title at the ATP 500 in Rio

The information reported by the specialized account Todo Sobre Tenis mentions that Navone is playing in its third ATP tournament after setbacks in its debuts at the Cordoba Open and the Argentina Open, the latter entering the main draw from the qualifiers.

Back in Brazil, Mariano Navone recovered from a one-set deficit against Federico Coria (85) in his presentation to take the duel 1-6, 6-4 and 6-2. In the round of 16, he swept German Yannick Hanfmann (56) 6-1, 6-2. In the quarterfinals, he eliminated the local João Fonseca (655) by 2-6, 6-3 and 6-3. These scrolls led him to become the big surprise of the contest.

His current status is far from being a coincidence, since after the victory against Hanfmann he revealed the keys to his career: “I have been doing a lot of work with Andrés (Dellatorre, his coach), improving technical things, but there is also a bit of mental clicking. , to start cheering myself up in the games. Having beaten Coria the way I beat him, adding my first ATP victory, being top 100 and today I went out to play as equals. The best thing is my mental part that I go out focused on playing my game.”

His final against Báez will be the only one in the history of the ATP 500 in Rio with a completely Argentine seal, since Guido Pella and Diego Schwartzman reached the decisive stage in 2016 and 2018, respectively. The winner of the match will be the second champion of this nationality in the singles of the tournament, after Peque defeated Fernando Verdasco six years ago, while Pella was defeated against the Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas. In addition, the Argentine Legion will take over the 234th trophy in the history of the Association of Professional Tennis Players.

* The summary of Sebastián Báez’s victory over Fran Cerúndolo

Navone’s rival in the definition will be Sebastián Báez, current number 30 in the world, who will seek his fifth ATP title at the Guga Kuerten Stadium after having achieved 1 in 2022 and the remaining three in 2023. He comes from easily surpassing Fran Cerúndolo, and before that he had eliminated Corentin Moutet (147), Facundo Díaz Acosta -59- (winner of the Argentina Open 2024) and the local Thiago Monteiro (117), with whom he gave up the only set on his way to the final. Unlike his next opponent, he did not compete in the Qualy and has two days less fatigue in his physique.

As of Monday, there will be eight Argentines in the Top 100 of the world rankings, according to Todo Sobre Tenis: Francisco Cerúndolo -20-, Sebastián Báez, Tomás Etcheverry -27-, Facundo Díaz Acosta, Mariano Navone, Pedro Cachín -78-, Federico Coria -89- and Thiago Tirante -100-.

2024-02-25 03:08:00
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