The Argentinian Sebastian Baez said goodbye to the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 after the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, number 1 in the worldbeat him in the second round 6-1 and 6-3 in one hour and 8 minutes of play.
The dominance of Spanish seemed overwhelming at the beginning, but The man from Buenos Aires was able to react and balance somehow the actions in the second set, where he was very close to going 4-4.
Alcaraz will clash in the third round against the winner of the match between the Argentine Tomas Etcheverry and who advances in the duel between the Frenchman Terence Atmane and the American Ethan Quinn.
The match started with Báez’s serve, something that sometimes favors the receiver because they are both a bit cold. In fact, the Spaniard came back from 40-15 and managed to break it and confirm the advantage by maintaining his serve.
The third game was very good for Báez. However, with the game tied at 30, the world number 1 hit a very strong forehand to the strap that put him in front of a new break chance that he did not waste.
That power and hierarchy was too much for Báezthat even playing a good match (there was a wonderful backhand parallel to the strap in the fourth point), in 16 minutes it was 0-4 and the set was very difficult for him.
Only self-love allowed the man from Buenos Aires to fight as far as he could. For this reason, the 1-4 was celebrated by him, by the people who accompany him and by the public in general.
In any case, every time Alcaraz stepped on the accelerator he was relentless. And then he maintained his serve comfortably (even committing a double fault), which closed with a perfect drop.
The set ended with all that much more evident: the Spaniard broke serve at love and the 6-1 in 27 minutes was final.
The second set began with the same dynamic. Alcaraz maintained his serve and Báez fought as best he could, with a very good level of play. Although, it is repeated, the difference in hierarchy and variants tipped the balance for the world number 1, who He deployed a range of variants both in attack and defense: drops, whips from the forehand and backhand… And also moments where luck also played in their favor.
After a hard-fought second point, which Alcaraz also ended up winning, It seemed like everything was resolved and all that remained was to know how long it would take for the match to end. Because in addition to the fact that the games were on the Spaniard’s side, Báez made more errors and the exchanges lasted less than in the first set.
In any case, Báez received the biggest ovation of the match when he managed to overcome a 0-40 with his serve, out of pure pride he fought the point as if everything were equal and ended up winning it with an exact drop that Alcaraz did not take.
That excited the Argentine, who looked for a way to close the gap. However, the Spaniard maintained his serve and was 4 to 1. Báez never gave up, not even knowing he was inferior. For this reason, the 2-4 was a reward for his dedication, which was also accompanied by I wish that Alcaraz at least makes mistakes more frequently.
And that happened. Because in tennis anything can happen and then The Spaniard threw a parallel drive outside and committed the second double fault at the most inopportune moment. Báez had a break in his favor and did not waste it: he left everything in a right-hand missile that the Spaniard could not return. The clenched fist and the “Let’s go!” They explained the boost of confidence that came from going 3-4 and with the chance to tie.
The eighth game was the longest of the match (more than six minutes and 14 points) and both had their chances to win it. Until a strong open forehand tilted the balance in favor of the Spaniard, who served to win and did not forgive: he closed it at zero and with an ace.
It was Alcaraz’s fourth victory against Báez in as many matches. The previous ones were 4-2, 4-1 and 4-2 at the Intensa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals (2021), 7-5, 7-5, 2-0 and abandonment at the 2022 US Open and 6-4 and 6-2 at Tokyo 2025.
The Buenos Aires native, 25 years old and number 65 in the ATP ranking, said goodbye to Monte Carlo with a good image. Because to his capacity for reaction exhibited this Tuesday against Alcaraz is added the significant victory in his debut by winning in straight sets over Stan Wawrinka by 7-5 and 7-5, in a match that marked a break in their history in the competition.
The victory had a special value for him since he achieved his first victory in the main draw of the tournament after four participations without success. In this fifth presentation, he managed to reverse an adverse trend and advance to the second round in the Principality for the first time.
This year he was a finalist in Auckland and a semi-finalist in Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile.
