Djere prevents Báez from defending the title in Santiago | ATP Tour

Santiago

Djere prevents Báez from defending the title in Santiago

The Serbian wins his first ATP tournament in five years

March 03, 2025

Laslo Djere has lived this Sunday at the Movistar Chile open one of the most special days of his career at ATP Tour. The Serbian reached his third title in the circuit thanks to his victory No. 150 in the circuit.

No. 103 of the PIF ATP Rankings has needed two hours and 25 minutes to achieve it, the time in which he could beat 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 to no less than Sebastián Báez, No. 31 of the world and current champion of the tournament.

The Argentine was looking to be the first with multiple titles in the history of this contest, but he found an improved serbian version in relation to the previous meetings between them.

Báez had won, and in runs, in this same event and in Winston-Salem in 2023. But Djere was impeccable this Sunday to leave in 1-2 the Lexus ATP Headtohead between them, especially at the time under the greatest tension.

In the initial sleeve, for example, he faced two Break Points while 5-4, 15/40. However, he matched the account and stayed with the game thanks to two winning shots that gave him the first partial. And in the decisive set, he could have lost his focus when he was broken when he took for the game in 5-3.

Three errors not forced consecutively, and a double foul in the 15/40 of that game could have cost him the title. However, he recovered some confidence in 5-5 and 6-5 to the rest, everything played in his favor: two his winning shots and two non-forced errors from Báez helped the Serbian to specify his first title in five years.

The 2019 and Sardinian 2020 champion is now the fourth tennis player of his country with at least three titles in the circuit, matching Novak Djokovic (99), Janko Tipsarevic (4) and Viktor Troicki (3). In addition, he is also the player with the worst ranking to win a tournament in 2025, surpassing the then No. 99 Joao Fonseca in Buenos Aires.

This result will be promoted to No. 74 of the PIF ATP Rankings, almost 30 positions ahead of the location with which this ATP 250 of Santiago began.