Francisco Cerundolo, who put out World No. 5 Casper Ruud en route to the ATP 250 clay-court event final, toppled fifth seed Pablo Carreno Busta on Saturday.
The triumph in straights sets 6-3, 6-2 over the World No. 18 sent the 23-year-old into the championship match, consolidating a nearly flawless week on Swedish soil.
In his on-court interview, Cerundolo commented: “I think I played one of the best matches in my career today. Everything went well. I am feeling so comfortable and playing with so much confidence, it’s amazing to be playing like this. Hopefully, I can keep going and maintain my level or improve it.”
On Sunday, he will face countryman Sebastian Baez, who edged World No. 8 Andrey Rublev with a 6-2, 6-4 win after 75 minutes to advance to his third final on Tour.
Addressing his next challenge against Baez, he remarked: “It’s fantastic [to be in another final]. Last year I was in the final at home in Buenos Aires, and I lost pretty badly, so I hope tomorrow I can have a better match and hopefully take my first title home.”
The World No. 39 opened his campaign Tuesday, fending off Portuguese player Pedro Sousa, then battling past the defending champion, Ruud, in a hard-fought three-setter.
On Friday, the Buenos Aires native would book his spot in the semifinals by powering past World No. 40 Aslan Karatsev. Next, he beat Carreno Busta after 76 minutes without dropping a set.
Cerundolo cracked into the Top 100 in the ATP Rankings for the first time by mid-February. As of today, he sits at a career-high No. 39, enjoying his best season since turning professional in 2018.
In April, the young Argentine achieved another significant milestone, making into the last four at the Miami Open in his first-ever appearance at an ATP Masters 1000 main draw.
Earlier in 2022, he made it through the quarterfinals at the Argentina Open, losing to second seed and fellow countryman Diego Schwartzman.
A week later, he was contesting the semifinals as a Qualifier at the Rio Open, falling to the same rival after a tight matchup.
And since then, he has raised his level, learning from the losses as the victories, a solid improvement seen this week in Bastad.
For his part, 21-year-old Baez is making headlines from his performances displaying high-level tennis, particularly on the clay surface, while facing big names like Rublev.
The Moscow native played his sixth semifinal of the year, finding a rival on the other side of the net who showcased great intensity and accuracy with his forehand across the encounter.
Following his victory over the second seed in their first meeting on Tour, Baez recorded his first win over a Top 10 at the event.
Not bad for the World No. 34, who set off his journey in Sweden by ousting Italian Fabio Fognini in straight sets.
On Thursday, the eighth seed faced Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, prevailing 6-2, 6-3.
In his quarterfinal match, he played against the best version seen this year of Austrian Dominic Thiem on a tennis court.
The 2020 U.S. Open champion spent over a year sidelined from tour competition due to a lingering wrist injury.
Thiem forced the 2022 Millennium Estoril Open champion to work hard to emerge victorious, forcing a third-set decider.
“It was such a tough match. So close,” Baez said after the encounter, in which he closed out a 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4 win to reach the last four on Friday.
On Saturday, after defeating Rublev, he outlined: “I think I played better than yesterday. I am happy to win and continue in the tournament.”
Furthermore, he assessed Sunday’s final, asserting: “I think it will be a tough match because we have known each other for many years. But I have to do the best I can.”
“This is a new tournament, a new final, another week. So, I am happy to stay in the final, and of course, I want more.”