Sebastián Báez scores big win at Australian Open, next rival set | OneFootball

Many times you have to fight and bang your head against the wall until things work out… and that’s exactly what Sebastián Báez (36th in the ATP ranking) did at this Australian Open. In a match lasting three hours and fifteen minutes, the Argentine maintained a high level to defeat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (61st) 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3 and thus advance to the second round of the tournament.

It was a match that had it all: from the French player’s 30 aces (the third highest in this statistic for a match), to cramps, and even a result that seemed to be slipping away from the Argentine’s hands. Although in the first two sets he showed unmatched confidence and ease, seemingly unstoppable, things changed in the third and fourth sets, where the Frenchman took control of the game and pushed it to the final stage. It was a happy ending for the Argentine, who arrived with more fuel in the tank to prove the great form he is currently enjoying.

In this way, the native of San Martín now has eight wins this season, having achieved important victories against players such as Ben Shelton (7th), Taylor Fritz (9th), Jenson Brooksby (48th), and Stan Wawrinka (139th), as well as reaching the final at the ATP 250 in Auckland, where he lost to Jakub Mensik (17th). That means he already has two wins against Top 10 players— not a bad way to start the year.

Moreover, these numbers give him confidence to leave behind that dark past that haunted him in Grand Slam tournaments, since he hadn’t managed a win in the Main Draw of any of the four major tournaments since 2024. The last time had been in the first round of the US Open 2024 against the Italo-Argentine Luciano Darderi (24th), who he will face again in the second round of this tournament.

The good news for the Argentine is that, in addition to his great current form, the head-to-head record between the two is in his favor, with a 4-2 record. He also managed to equal a personal mark that didn’t bring back good memories in matches where he had started by winning the first two sets. Previously, the numbers showed that only on two occasions had he managed to win after starting well in these Grand Slam matches, while on three other occasions he ended up losing— all at Roland Garros.

But having turned the page, the Argentine will put all his chips on his second-round match, aiming to continue building on his great performance in this 2026 season.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.