Sebastián Báez defeated fellow Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli in straight sets to advance to the semifinals of the Argentina Open. According to the Argentine News Agency, Báez, who had a strong start to the year, won 7-6(5) and 6-2 after one hour and 59 minutes of play. The first set was very even, with clear moments of dominance for both players. Initially, Báez quickly took a 4-1 lead, but Carabelli managed to turn the situation around to turn the tables and lead 5-4 when serving for the set. However, he got nervous on serve, allowing Báez to force a tie-break. In the sudden death, Báez had a strong start, which gave him a 6-2 lead, and only on his fourth set point did he secure the definitive 7-5. In the second set, Báez showed his best version, looking very decisive throughout the match and hitting great winners from both the baseline and at the net. This, combined with Ugo Carabelli's demoralized appearance after losing the tie-break, was key for Báez to seal the 6-2 victory and earn a spot in the semifinals. This victory allows Báez to continue his excellent start to the year, in which he had a very good performance at the ATP United Cup and also reached the final of the ATP 250 in Auckland, where he fell in the decisive match against Czech Jakub Mensik. Báez's opponent in the semifinal will be the winner of the match between Italian Luciano Darderi (2nd) and Spaniard Pedro Martínez, who will face each other in the last match of the evening session. If Darderi advances, Báez will have a great opportunity to take revenge for the defeat he suffered against the Italian in the second round of the Australian Open.
