Pedro Martínez, fourth favorite, will play this Sunday (10:00 p.m., Tennis TV) in Santiago de Chile against Sebastián Báez in his second ATP final (he lost last year in Kitzbuhel against Ruud) after winning 5-7, 6-4 and 6-4 in 2h54 to Alejandro Tabilo in a match in which, in addition to beating your rival, you had to overcome the Davis Cup atmosphere generated by an audience that applauded all his failures and seriously insulted him just for eliminating the 24-year-old local tennis player and 113th in the world.
The Valencian won the victory with a complicated comeback after losing a first set in which there were five breaks and raising in the second a score also adverse 3-0. The third suffered to close it when with 5-1 in his favor it seemed that he had it done. But Tabilo and the pressure of the public led him to make mistakes and the victory was dangerous when with 5-4 he faced a 15-40 that, fortunately for him, he knew how to lift. “I was not feeling well, I was nervous from the end of the first set until the middle of the second. From there I started to believe that I could win the game and in the end I had a hard time again, because it was not easy to play here with all the people against me. I had to contain my emotions and stay focused. But I fought for every point to win the match”, explained Pedro.
Atmosphere on 🔥 in Santiago! #ChileDoveMenCareOpen pic.twitter.com/nCq0sdSoeX
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 27, 2022
Ramos falls again against Báez
The final could have been completely Spanish, but Albert Ramos was left at the gates when he fell 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in two hours and 32 minutes against the promising 21-year-old Argentine Sebastián Báezsemifinalist of the NextGen ATP Finals (he fell to Carlos Alcaraz), a rival that has choked the Catalan since he couldn’t beat him in the first round of the last Australian Open in a tough duel resolved in the fifth set.
We have the first finalist!@sebaabaez7 advance to the final after defeating @albertramos88 6-4 4-6 and 6-2 #ChileDoveMenCareOpen pic.twitter.com/A73KNx46gp
– Chile Open (@chile_open) February 26, 2022
Baez, the new little of Argentine tennis, not only because of his resemblance to Schwartzman in terms of height (1.70 m), but also because he is used with similar aggressiveness and clawimposed his striking power, especially in a third round that he played impeccably after being overwhelmed by Ramos’ consistency and quality in the second.
The winner has a very positive record on Chilean soil. Since 2021, between Challengers and ATP tournaments, he has a stupendous 26-2. Ramos was looking for his 12th final, after playing and winning the one in Córboda a few weeks ago, precisely on Argentine soil.