Lyon is the fourth tournament of the year where Báez has reached at least the quarterfinals. Photo on Twitter @ATPTour_ES
The good tennis week of Sebastián Báez and Federico Coria is over, they remain at the door of the semifinals of ATP 250 Lyon by losing their respective quarterfinal duels. The Buenos Aires native, 38th in the ranking, played a very good game and fought in cameron norrie, maximum favorite, but ended up falling to 6-4, 4-6 and 7-5. Meanwhile, Rosario, 59th, surrendered to Slovak alex molcan47 °, of 6-3 and 6-2.
In the middle battle of that day, Báez, one of the best talents of the new Argentine generation, stood equal to number eleven in the world and worked him two hours and 40 minutes before delivering the victory.
After Norrie, the Argentine trained Facundo Lugonestook the first set with two breaks for and one against, Báez took the very equal second set with a break in the tenth game.
The Briton started the decisive chapter at advantage, as he stole his rival’s service in the first game and then led 2-0. The Buenos Aires native, who won his first ATP title in Estoril on May 1. In the ninth game, left at 3-5, he saved two match points against and took that game to be 4-5. . And in the next one, with Norrie serving for the match, he finally recovered the break he had given earlier in the set and tied it all at 5-5.
But the fun didn’t last long. The Briton, who won this year’s title at Delray Beach and lost in the Acapulco final to Rafael Nadal, returned courtesy: he broke in the 11th game and took the lead again, 6-5. And on his second chance to seal success with his serve, he didn’t hesitate.
Norrie will go into the semis against Dane Holger Rune, 19 years old and 40 in the ranking. Meanwhile, Báez closed out another positive tournament, the fourth of the year in which he reached at least the quarterfinals, which allowed him to continue adding filming to the men’s tennis most important circuit and get enough score to climb to two places in the ranking.
Earlier, in the first game of the day, Coria failed to extend his good moment and fell in straight sets to Molcan, a player who is rising this season and defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Karen Khachanovseeded fifth, to reach the quarterfinals.
Rosario, who will climb to five places and become 54th in the world next Monday, gave up in the first set in 52 minutes, despite twice going on the scoreboard (1-0 and 2-1). ), thanks for the two breaks. . But the Slovakian reacted immediately after those breaks and then hit a long sixth game, to climb to 4-2 and make a difference that would be decisive in that chapter.
Molcan broke down early in the second set (1-0) and extended the distance to the seventh, with another break leaving him 5-2. And against an Argentine who couldn’t find a way to hurt him, he sealed the victory in the next game, after an hour and 29 minutes.
In the defeat against the Slovakian – who will now face the Australian Alex De Minaur (21st)-, Coria lowered the curtain on a very positive week, where he played at a great level and also achieved the best success of his career, winning the round of 16 by 7-5 and 6-3, and with very solid, into Spanish Pablo Carreno Busta17th in the world and second favorite in the tournament.
The Santa Fe native won’t have to wait long to get revenge against Molcan, as the Slovakian will be his rival in the first round of Roland Garros, the most important clay-court tournament of the year, which starts on Sunday.
Báez, on the other hand, will make his French Grand Slam debut against the Serbian Dusan Lajović66th in the world ranking.
Source: Clarin
