Tag Archives: Alexandre Muller

Sebastian Baez Makes History with Title Defense at Rio Open

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Make that two in a row for Sebastian Baez. 

The 24-year-old Argentine tennis player became the first player to successfully defend the Rio Open title on Sunday after overcoming Frenchman Alexandre Muller 6-2, 6-3 at the ATP 500 event in Brazil.

Sebastian BaezIn front of the capacity crowd in Rio de Janeiro, Baez produced a relentless display of aggressive, consistent ball-striking against Muller. He pulled the Frenchman from side to side with his accuracy, and he glided around the baseline to track down anything Muller threw at him, raising his arms in delight after sealing victory on his second match point.

With his one-hour, 26-minute win, Baez captured his fourth trophy on South American soil. The fifth seed, who has won his past 10 matches in Rio, is now a seven-time tour-level titlist.

“I am so proud of the whole week,” Baez said in his on-court interview. “I am so happy for every match. I did my best and I am so happy. I try to give my best every point.

“Of course the finals are different because you want to win the tournament. I try to focus on the match and that is most difficult part in the finals, but the support from my coach and the team is so important.”

Baez has clinched six of his seven crowns on clay, with the exception coming on hard courts in Winston-Salem. Since the start of 2022, Baez has earned 73 wins on clay, the most of anyone on Tour according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

The World No. 31 showed why he’s such a consistent performer on the surface this week with a series of impressive wins. Baez defeated Roman Andres Burruchaga and Chun-Hsin Tseng in straight sets and battled to three-set victories against Mariano Navone and Camilo Ugo Carabelli.

In a dominant display in the final against Muller, Baez struck 26 winners and broke the Frenchman’s serve five times, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Muller was aiming to capture his second tour-level title, having triumphed in Hong Kong earlier this season. The 28-year-old is up 19 spots to No. 41 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will rise to a career high on Monday.

Roberto Carballes Baena Defeats Alexandre Muller to Win Grand Prix Hassan II

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Roberto Carballes Baena is back in the winner’s circle…

The 30-year-old Spanish tennis player came from behind to win the Grand Prix Hassan II on Sunday, beating Alexandre Muller 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2 in a three-hour final.

“I am so tired, but I am very, very happy,” Carballes Baena said. “It was a very, very tough match.”

Neither player was seeded in the tournament.

Carballes Baena won his only previous matchup with the Frenchman in 2019 at Roland Garros.

Carballes Baena, who won his only previous ATP final in 2018 at Quito, is projected to climb to No. 49 in the rankings on Monday.

Muller, who will enter the top 100 for the first time Monday, was playing his first tour-level final.

Roberto Carballes Baena Defeats Daniel Evans to Advance to Grand Prix Hassan II Final

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Roberto Carballes Baena continues his upsetting ways…

For the third time this week at the Grand Prix Hassan II, the 30-year-old Spanish tennis player has defeated a seeded opponent in Marrakech.

Roberto Carballes BaenaOn Saturday, Carballes Baena came from behind to upset second seed Daniel Evans 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 and advance to his second tour-level final.

Carballes Baena, who won his only previous title match in Quito in 2018, picked up his first win against a Top 35 opponent this season in what was his first tour-level semifinal since he reached the last four in Bastad in 2021.

“I don’t know why, but all the time that I come here I think I play my best tennis,” said Carballes Baena, who improved to 10-3 in Marrakech, with a previous semifinal run in 2014 as a qualifier and a quarter-final run last season. “I won my first Challenger also here [in Morocco]. I feel very good and I will try to do a good match tomorrow.”

Carballes Baena used a five-game flurry to turn the match around from 3-4 in the second set. He had not broken serve since the opening game of the match, but he did so in consecutive return games to win the second set and take a 2-0 lead in the decider.

As his relentless baseline game continued to reap rewards, Carballes Baena’s third break of the match gave him a 4-1 lead, and he consolidated his advantage by saving a break point in the ensuing service game.

After knocking of fifth seed Maxime Cressy in the first round and fourth seed Tallon Griekspoor in the quarters, both in three sets, Carballes Baena will meet an unseeded opponent in Sunday’s final: Alexandre Muller.

“I will try to see the match now a little bit,” the Spaniard said. “They are playing very well so for sure it will be a very tough match tomorrow.”