ATP Tour
Báez leads Argentina in the victory against Spain in the United Cup (3-0)
Solana Sierra certified the victory for Argentina against Spain
January 02, 2026
Janelle St Pierre/Getty Images
Sebastián Báez is No. 45 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
by this ATEDIDE ATP
Sebastián Báez became the first player to win a match in the 2026 ATP Tour season.
He achieved it this Friday in Perth with a superlative level to beat the Spanish Jaume Munar with authority 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 43 minutes of play to overtake Argentina in the opening series of the United Cup 2026.
She did so shortly before Solana Sierra certified her country’s victory in the series against Spain, defeating Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 in two hours and two minutes.
“I really enjoyed this moment, I enjoyed it on the court, so I am happy to have won this point for Argentina,” Báez acknowledged.
“I’m happy because I’m recovering from some discomfort and injuries from the last two years. So, of course, I want more. I have confidence and I believe in my team and my country,” added the Argentine.
The 24-year-old right-hander was much stronger on the rest than the world No. 33 after breaking four times, two more than his rival. This difference in the return compensated for the fact that Báez did not connect aces and committed two doubles, while Munar added seven direct serves and no double faults, and was superior in first serve (75% against 65%) and in points won with the first (64% against 59%).
The only precedent between the two at the ATP Tour level had been two years ago in Santiago, Chile, and Báez also won with sets of 6-4, 6-4, an identical score to this Friday, so he now leads the Lexus ATP HeadToHead 2-0 between them.
The No. 45 in the PIF ATP Rankings had not won a match since the first round of the ATP Masters 1000 in Shanghai (d. Zhang). This result brings his losing streak between the ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour to five, and means his first victory against a Top 50 since Rio 2025 against the then No. 46 Mariano Navone.
To close the tie, María Lourdes Carlé and Guido Andreozzi put the finishing touch, getting the third point for Argentina against the Spanish duo formed by Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers and Íñigo Cervantes by 7-6(6), 6-2 in one hour and 34 minutes.
Argentina is the leader of Group A and this Saturday they will play their second series against the current champion: the United States.
