Baez wins titanic semi against Coric to make Winston-Salem Open final

Sebastian Baez defeated Borna Coric in a 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2) epic on Friday night. He’ll face No 5 seed Jiri Lehecka in the final

Sebastian Baez (© Sandrine Thesillat / Panoramic)

Bren Gray

August 26, 2023

Winston-Salem Open •Semi-final • completed

See draw

B. CoricvsS. Baez

Argentinian Sebastian Baez, the No 6 seed, edged out Croat Borna Coric, the top seed, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2) to reach the final of the Winston-Salem Open at Wake Forest Tennis Complex on Friday night.

Forget Alcaraz vs Djokovic, this match was just as dramatic, and almost as long as the recent three-set epic the world No 1 and No 2 played in Cincinnati. Lasting three hours and 19 minutes, it was a clash that saw Baez constantly getting himself in winning positions, before Coric would surge back into the match.

Baez outlasts Coric in seesaw match

From a set and 3-1 down, Coric powered his way to a second set tiebreak, which he won – his seventh consecutive tiebreak win on the ATP Tour. Again getting behind by a break in the deciding set, Coric would save himself by pressuring Baez’s serve.

At one stage, the Croatian was two points from victory at 6-5 and 0-30 in the deciding set, until his opponent displayed some incredible defence and footwork to force yet another tiebreak.

Brilliant Baez 💥🙌⚡

Sebastian Baez digs deep to fend off Coric in an absolute marathon to reach the final in Winston-Salem!@WSOpen pic.twitter.com/bqRvKrgz7l
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 26, 2023

This time, it was Baez – the man with a 6-11 tiebreak record across ATP and ITF events – who would dominate the breaker, snatching victory on his first attempt at 6-2 up.

Baez will face No 5 seed Jiri Lehecka next, who couldn’t have had a more contrasting path to the final, receiving a walkover after Sebastian Korda withdrew ahead of their semi-final due to an ankle injury.

The final will be Baez’s second in a row, with the world No 42 on an eight-match winning streak after lifting the trophy in Austria last week.

Tennis Majors

Ahead of his victory, the 22-year-old Argentinian defeated Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan (3-6, 6-4, 6-4), Australian Aleksandar Vukic, the No 9 seed (6-4, 4-6, 6-4) and Serb Laslo Djere, the No 4 seed (6-3, 6-0).

Coric, ranked No 29, won against Australian Rinky Hijikata (6-2, 7-6 (2)), American wildcard Michael Mmoh (6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-3) and Argentinian Juan Manuel Cerundolo (6-3, 6-1) earlier in the tournament.