Five things to know about Sebastian Baez
Sebastian Baez is one of a number of young talents to begin breaking through on the ATP tour.
After winning his maiden ATP title at the Estoril Open, Sebastia Baez has launched himself into the world’s top 40.
Join Tennishead for a look at five things you should know about the 21-year-old and his journey up the men’s ladder.
1) Background
Sebastian Baez was born in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires on 28th December 2000.
2) Junior potential
Sebastian Baez was consistently strong on the ITF junior circuit, eventually topping the rankings in March 2018 after winning that year’s Porto Alegre Junior Championships in Brazil as a 17-year-old.
That tournament is a junior equivalent of an ATP Masters 1000 event.
The Argentine played in seven junior Slams across 2017 and 2018, making two appearances at each of Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.
Baez reached the final of the 2018 Roland Garros boys’ singles as the top seed before losing to fourth seed Tseng Chun-hsin
3) Challenger success
After turning pro in 2018, Baez built to a thoroughly impressive 2021 season on the ATP second-tier Challenger Tour.
The Argentine led the Challenger Tour in terms of singles finals reached with nine and was joint-second on the titles list with six, only behind Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands.
That tally of six titles remains a single-season record for a player aged 21 or under.
Baez’s 2021 season saw him qualify for the fourth edition of the ATP Next Gen Finals, reaching the semi-finals before falling to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
4) Two Next Gen stars tied together
Back near the start of 2021, Baez made his tour level debut as a qualifier at the ATP 250 Chile Open.
There he faced fellow qualifier and 2019 Roland Garros boys’ singles champion Holger Rune, who himself was playing just his second ever tour level match.
Rune won that day in straight sets before both men qualified for the Next Gen Finals in November.
Fast forward to April 2022 and the two youngsters were playing parallel clay tournaments at the Munich Open and Estoril Open.
Rune ousted top seed and home favourite Alexander Zverev in Munich on the way to the final, while Baez took down former top 10 stars Marin Cilic and Richard Gasquet on his own run to the final in Portugal.
After Rune won be walkover and Baez downed an exhausted Frances Tiafoe, the duo secured maiden ATP tour level titles on the same day.
5) A Major-winning mentor
Former world number three and 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro is from the same province in Argentina as Sebastian Baez.
While the younger man was making his way as a professional, the two trained together for the first time in 2019, the six foot six ‘Tower of Tandil’ looming over the diminutive Baez.
However, del Potro was anything but intimidating towards Baez, the youngster telling the ATP tour: “Delpo is always talking to us and is always there.
“When we’re in Buenos Aires, we train and he is a great help.
“One of the things he always tells me is to trust my team, that it is one of the best [advice you can get].
“That gives me a lot of confidence and the desire to stay on this path.”
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