There were four full weeks in South America, where the clay tour produced two clear winners: Argentine tennis in general and Sebastian Baez In particular. In the first case, because in four tournaments there were three titles and a final for our compatriots. And in the second, because who from today is the new Argentine number 1 clearly became the great protagonist of this series composed of one ATP 500 (Rio de Janeiro) and three ATP 250 (Córdoba, Buenos Aires and Santiago).
Never dropping out of the quarterfinals and adding two more stars to his resume allowed Báez to not only string together a streak of nine consecutive victories to achieve his sixth title in Santiago, by winning 3-6, 6-0 and 6- 4 to Chilean Alejandro Tabilobut to become top 20 for the first time and be part of an exclusive elite.
Báez worked hard to get where he got. Since he was a child he knew that he would have to live with the limitations of a physique that is far from that of the great players on the circuit. Like Schwartzman, Báez is 1.70 meters tall and that means having the obligation to find his strengths, while most find them in other aspects of the game, such as his serve or the power of his blows.
In the final of the Chilean tournament, Báez clearly tipped the balance in his favor in a complex, even and irregular match for two key reasons.
The first was the ever-present connection with his bank, which began to be confirmed when at the end of the first set that he ended up losing, Sebastian Gutierrezhis coach, asked him to be hungry to win the game, to not resign himself to just passing the ball, to propose, to be encouraged, to take time away from the rival by hitting him faster.
And the second was a service in which there has clearly been noticeable improvement in recent times. Not only because of the aces achieved (in the semifinal against the Spanish Pedro Martínez he had connected five and repeated that number against Tabilo), but because it is clear that he seeks to shoot more with the first, punish the ball harder and thus achieve a good amount of free points with that hit, at the expense of a relatively low percentage that does not exceed 70 percent.
In the decisive match he started playing a little further back than usual, charging the game on his opponent’s backhand but without taking the initiative. After losing the initial set, he returned in the second with another energy. And renewed. In the first three games he made a difference in numbers but also in tennis and everything became easier for him. And in the third, more balanced, although he could not close it at 5-3 with his serve (the Chilean public was noticed), he did damage with his drive and broke Tabilo again for victory.
The most anticipated and most favorable stage of the year for Báez and the rest of the Argentines has passed due to the conditions of the tournaments (slow courts, closeness to home and affections and without the best they are not at full strength yet, like Carlos Alcaraz in Buenos Aires). Aires) and what is coming will be more demanding.
The first two Masters 1000 of the year will be played in Indian Wells and in Miami on cement and with all the tops in the boxes. There is something that is vital in tennis to achieve good results: confidence. Báez – above all – and the others loaded the tank with that virtue. That is why the excitement is great and it is open for what is to come.