World No. 72 Sebastian Baez hit the court on Saturday to compete in his fifth career final, looking to lift his third trophy at tour level.
Delivering his best tennis on tour in quite some time, he notched a clinical week on the red clay in Kitzbuhel, claiming his first title at the ATP 250 tournament, outlasting home favorite Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-1 in 80 minutes.
In his on-court interview, the 22-year-old from Buenos Aires commented: “I know all the people wanted Domi to win because he is from here, sorry.”
“I’m happy not just for today but the whole week. All the people, the crowd made me feel so comfortable here this week. I know this weather is not the best, but this place is amazing, and I’ve enjoyed every day.”
“Congrats to Domi and his team. It was a great week [for them], so I hope he comes back to his best level,” he added.
The final match would not start until a 90-minute rain delay, but as it did, Baez raced to open a 4-1 lead, taking by storm the first set 6-3, displaying a solid performance, finding an edge over his opponent on the physical side.
On his way to progress into his first final at tour level, the Austrian contested the longest best-of-three-set match of his career to overcome World No. 38 Laslo Djere after three hours and 30 minutes.
The third consecutive clash he won at his home tournament, coming from a set down, enough to take a toll on the fitness side.
Meanwhile, Baez dropped his only set all week in the semifinal match against countryman Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
“I just want to enjoy this moment. It was an amazing week,” outlined the Cordoba Open reigning champion.
Adding: “I will try to enjoy it with [my team]. We know the past few weeks were not the best results, so we will try to enjoy this moment.”
The Argentine took control of the second set and the match, ending the 29-year-old hopes to clinch his first title in almost three years.
Unbroken, Baez won 78 percent of the first serve points while Thiem took just 57 percent on his.
Moreover, he converted four of six break points opportunities, capitalizing on his chances throughout the top encounter.
However, the former U.S. Open winner leaves his country holding his head up high, having showcased his most consistent campaign this year, which led him to advance to his 29th career final on tour.
By taking down Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech last Thursday, he achieved his best result in 2023, moving through to the semifinals for the first time this season.
Previously, his best results came on the red clay in Estoril and Munich, reaching the quarterfinal at both ATP 250 events.
Currently ranked World No. 116, Thiem will return to the Top 100 next week.