Neither Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic. Nor Casper Ruud, finalist of two of the last three editions of Roland Garros. The most triumphs on brick dust in the last four seasons is Argentine and is called Sebastián Báez. He accumulates 78 triumphs since 2022, when he conquered his first ATP title in Estoril. And now, after beating Hungarian Marton Fucsoovics with double authority, he will define the ATP 250 of Bucharest before the Italian Flavio Cobolli In search of its eighth crown.
It does not have a great serve, although it improved it significantly. Nor a dominant blow, such as drive of Francisco cherúing that he is allowing the number 1 of Argentina to compete equally against the best in the world on all surfaces. But the mental strength not to be tied to mistakes, the ability to really play point by point without moving away from its strategic plan and the ability to quickly pass the page after sections of the season, especially on hard court, in which the defeats happen.
So almost three years ago it is installed in the top 50 del ranking ATP, With the exception of a short period of three weeks in July 2023 when it left that select group. He will play his final tenth on its favorite surface, figure that only exceeds Alcaraz. And you will look before Cobolli match the Spanish title mark in that period. It is clear: the statistics put the 24 -year -old Argentine, a 1.70 meters a small one, at the height of the giants, although it is in sight that most of their successes in minor tournaments.
The performance difference in each surface is notorious. The numbers reflect it. Accumulates 78 victories and 38 losses on brick dust, a high 67% effectiveness, While on the field lasts sum 20 wins and 48 falls (29%) and on grass 3 and 7 (30%). The recent results also mark it: after being two -time champion of the ATP 500 of Rio de Janeiro and finalist in Santiago de Chile, it fell into the debut in the 1000 Masters of Indian Wells and Miami to return to a final now, in Bucharest.
Without a powerful service or the ability of other players to generate winning shots with ease from the speed of their blows, Báez’s game is based on working the points from the baseline. Although with the depth of his impacts he seeks to get into the court and shorten the points, he often ends up taking advantage of long exchanges. It highlights its consistency and also its ability to defend and counteract.
In cement, on the other hand, all of that is more difficult: the speed of an ATP circuit in which it is increasingly played, which was even cause for criticisms of important figures such as Rafael Nadal, Alex de Miñaur or coach Patrick Mouratogu, makes the shortest senate points and takes away options for “peak and shovel” players. Another fact that reflects his problems when playing on that surface: he still did not achieve victories throughout 2025 and that did not face rivals of weight. In Miami, for example, it fell to the Italian Matteo Gigante, the 217 of the world at that time.
Before arriving in Rio de Janeiro, Báez He had won just 16 of the last 42 games played And he went down to Rosario’s Challenger to recover good feelings. He found positive signs despite the defeat in the semifinals against Bolivian Hugo Dellien, but was still lacking in trust and began the South American tour with many doubts. In this context, the defeat in the second round of Argentina Open against Thiago Seyboth Wild was a hard blow that deepened the crisis and put his place in the ranking, with many points to defend.
“There is an anecdote that I can tell. I wasn’t sure to come to Rio for the results, how I had been feeling. I played with Seyboth Wild on Wednesday and on Thursday we had to decide. There Foster (Sebastián Gutiérrez, his coach) told me to take out his chest, that he had to bank the stop, that he continued fighting whatever the result and that he would face it with courage. I wasn’t sure, but it was a very good decision “, He said at the press conference after his consecration.
This is the story of Báez. When the brick dust season arrives, without the need for much adaptation, it is transformed. After the Bucharest final, where He will seek to match Gastón Gaudio in the seventh place among Argentines with more ATP titles, The Masters 1000 of Montecarlo and will seek to take your tennis to another level. It will have a debut complex against Czech Thomas Machac, the number 21 in the world.
Later, the challenge will be to take to the rest of the surfaces those great results that year after year repeats on the orange soil.
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