Sebastian Baez, ranked 47th in the world, will play Luciano Darderi, ranked 200th, in the second round of the 2023 ATP Cordoba Open on Thursday.
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After struggling in the Australian Open qualifying rounds, Darderi promptly redirected his focus to clay, his preferred surface, and participated in the Concepcion Challenger competition two weeks ago. Before recording back-to-back victory in the Cordoba qualifying for this tournament, Darderi advanced to the second round there. And against Hugo Gaston in the opening round, Darderi played up to his favourite billing (he was 7/10 to win his opener). In one hour and 18 minutes, Darderi defeated his opponent 6-4, 6-3 to advance to round two, where he will face a tougher challenge. Darderi only had to save one break point in the first set, and by the time he was broken in the second, he already had a 5-0 lead. Can he make Baez’s life just as challenging?
For Sebastian Baez, the beginning of the season has been forgettable. The Argentine, who has never played his best tennis on hardcourt surfaces, has lost three consecutive events in the first round. For Baez, the clay court swing could not have arrived fast enough. Particularly for someone who has won 11 of his 12 wins on clay, including one ATP title last year in Estoril, across all circuits. One of the top four seeds at the Pune Open, Baez had a bye in the first round but lost to Pedro Martinez in the second. Ben Shelton then defeated him in straight sets in Auckland’s opening match before Jason Kubler defeated him at the Australian Open with scores of 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Baez hopes that with this kind of start, he can pick up a few victories in February as he gets ready to return to his career-best position of 31st on the ATP charts.
| Sebastian Baez vs Luciano Darderi | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | February 9, 2023 |
| Surface | Clay |
| Tournament | Cordoba Open |
| Stage | Round of 16 |
| Time (India) | 04:30 am |
| Time (Argentina) | 10:30 pm (Feb 8) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Jason Kubler | 4-6, 4-6, 4-6 (L) |
| Ben Shelton | 6-7, 1-6 (L) |
| Pedro Martinez | 6-3, 1-6, 3-6 (L) |
| Karen Khachanov | 1-6, 1-6 (L) |
| Pablo Carreno Busta | 2-6, 1-6 (L) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Hugo Gaston | 6-4, 6-3 (W) |
| Juan Pablo | 6-2, 6-2 (W) |
| Yannick Hanfmann | 6-4, 6-4 (W) |
| Alejandro Tabilo | 4-6, 5-7 (L) |
| Guido Andreozzi | 6-3, 6-2 (W) |
0-0. Despite having a huge lead in every facet of the game, Sebastian Baez’s recent poor play and fitness problems give Luciano Darderi a chance to maybe pull off an upset and continue his dream run in Cordoba.
Sebastian Baez and Luciano Darderi will take on each other in the round of 16 of the 2023 ATP Cordoba Open on February 9 at 04:30 am.
Argentina – FOX Sports 2
Canada – TSN
India – Discovery
UK – Amazon Prime Video
US – Tennis Channel
All ATP and WTA Tour level matches can be viewed on demand on the Tennis TV website and app.
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