Masters 1000 in Madrid: after the great triumph of Cachín, Báez says goodbye to Tsitsipas

In the magic box is the sorcerer Pedro Cachin. Cordovan earned the best win of his career on Monday by beating the American in straight sets Frances Tiafoe, number 11 in the world ranking, and settle down first time in round of 16 of a Masters 1000. He was 6-1 and 7-6 (2) in one hour and 20 minutes of play on the brick dust of Madrid for the current number 67 in the table.

Sebastian Baez he played a great game and gave battle Stephen Tsitsipas, number five in the world, for two hours and 12 minutes. But he failed to beat the fourth-seeded Greek, who prevailed 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 to enter the top 16.

“I played very well, sometimes I was lucky. For me it’s a dream come true, to be one of the best in a tournament of this size. It’s special in Madrid, I’ve always done well here”confided Cachín, who has been competing in Spain for three weeks after playing the Challenger in the capital and the ATP in Barcelona.

“(Alex) Corretja changed my life (Note: ten years ago he decided to move to Spain to be coached by the former world number 2), he’s like a father, a brother, I don’t know what he is, but he’s a great person. Now I focus a lot on my serve and I think I’ll do a lot of damage.”added the Bell Ville native, who had so far not won back-to-back matches at any tournament on the ATP tour this season and was pleased to pick up his first win against a top 20 player.

Now he has amassed his third consecutive win in Madrid, after beating the Jordanian Abdullah Shelbayh and his compatriot Francisco Cerúndolo, to also avenge La Plata Thomas Etcheverryeliminated by Tiafoe in the previous round.

“I’m sure it will be a very tough match, like all the others here”he anticipated his next rival, which will be the German Jan Lennard Struff (65th), 33 years old and winner of the Serbian Dusan Lajovic (40) with partials of 6-7(2), 6-3 and 6-3.

Báez could not with Tsitsipas

Sebastian Baez could not surprise Stefanos Tsitsipas and close a perfect Monday for Argentine tennis. The man from Buenos Aires, ranked 31, played a great match – with top level and very entertaining tennis – against the number five in the world, but ended up falling 7-5, 3-6 and 6-3 in two hours and 12 minutes of gameplay.

The 22-year-old Argentinian, this year’s champion in Córdoba, started off very confident and was on a par with a much more experienced rival, who already has two Masters 1000 trophies and a ‘Masters’ trophy on his trophy cabinets. And in the eighth game he takes advantage of a couple of mistakes by the European and gets a break for 5-3.

With no margin for error, Tsitsipas turned up the pressure and recovered the break quickly, in a long game in which Báez had ups and downs, going from good wins to unforced errors and wasting a set point.

With renewed confidence, the Greek also wins the next three games – with another break in the 11th minute – and closes the set, after 51 minutes of play.

Báez did not acknowledge the hit. He went out to play the second set with the same concentration with which he had started the first and brought out his entire repertoire: good passes, very fine shots on the lines and even a few drops, which made his rival lose his balance.

The man from Buenos Aires broke through in the second match and took a 3-0 lead, against a too erratic Tsitsipas. Once again the Greek has raised the bar and, therefore, the game has become a lot of fun. Because in the following games they didn’t give up, they fought for all the points and gave away intense exchanges, which lifted the crowd.

And again, as happened in the first set, Báez came out to serve for the set, with the score 5-3. But this time there were no surprises. Even though he started 0-15, he played smart, he didn’t rush and made it 6-3 in 41 minutes.

The Greek turned up the pressure in the last set, started playing more aggressively and went in search of victory. Báez didn’t hold back and, with great mobility, responded very well to what he proposed as number five in the world. Also, he took the lead in his own service games.

The set was very balanced and without the possibility of a break until the eighth game, in which the Argentinean made a mistake and paid dearly for it. Because he made some mistakes and gave Tsitsipas the lead with a double fault.

The Greek was therefore one game away from victory. But he had to work to close it. Between his own mistakes and some great successes from Báez, he had to lift a break point and only managed to seal the 6-3 on his second match point.

Tsitsipas will now face the Spaniards Bernabe Zapata Miralles42nd in the standings, who beat the Russian 6-3, 3-6 and 6-3 Safiulin Romancoming from the qualy.

Báez, beyond the defeat, will get great sensations from Madrid. Is that the man from Buenos Aires came from setting up two consecutive defeats on the European tour of brick dust, in Montecarlo AND Monk (before he had done rooms in Estoril). But in magic boxshe defeated the American in three sets in her debut Marco Giron and this Monday he played on equal terms against one of the best in the world.

The favorite of the men’s draw is the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who eliminated Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov this Sunday. follows the Russian Daniel Medvedevnumber three on the planet, who eliminated his friend and compatriot this Monday Alexander Shevchenko 4-6, 6-1 and 7-5 after a battle of 2 hours and 40 minutes that allowed him to win in Madrid for the first time in his career. He will face another compatriot in the next round, Aslan KaratsevAustralian executioner Alex de Minaur of 6-3, 4-6 and 6-4.

The race, which began in 2002, has had only one Argentine champion, the Cordovan David Nalbandian in the 2007 edition when it still took place on a fast surface. Then, starting in 2009, it was decided to switch to brick dust.