To quarters in Auckland! Facu Díaz excels on fast tracks | ATP Tour

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To quarters in Auckland! Facu Díaz excels on fast tracks

On the same day, the current champion Tabilo was surprised

January 08, 2025

A few days ago he was eliminated and now, thanks to the fact that he has been able to take advantage of his status as a lucky loser, Facundo Díaz Acosta is already in his first quarterfinal on hard courts on the ATP Tour.

And he sealed it with a great victory against his compatriot Sebastián Báez with sets of 6-4, 7-6(1) in the second round of the ASB Classic in Auckland. This result also helps the No. 78 in the PIF ATP Rankings reach his twentieth victory on the ATP Tour (second of the year).

Despite winning in two sets, the outcome was much more difficult than the score suggests. In the opening set he went from 4-1 to 4-4 and saved two break points in the ninth game. A break in the tenth put him ahead in confidence, but not by much.

Báez broke at 2-2 in the second set and built a 5-3 advantage that allowed him to serve for the set at 5-4, just when the Buenos Aires 2024 champion broke. However, the No. 28 and third seed this week reacted with another break that he could not accompany with a joy in the next game.

Although Báez served for the set once again and had two set points with the serve, Díaz Acosta won them with winners and sent the set to a tie-break in which he was impeccable to seal the match in his favor against the two hours and eight minutes of the game.

His next opponent will be Frenchman Gael Monfils, who defeated German Jan-Lennard Struff 6-1, 7-6(5) to become the tournament’s oldest quarterfinalist since 1970. The 38-year-old Frenchman and Díaz Acosta will debut as rivals for a place in the semifinals.

Another Hispanic who advanced to the quarterfinals was Roberto Carballés Baena. The Spaniard, world No. 59, gave one of the surprises of the day by beating the fourth seed, the Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo, with sets of 6-2, 7-5. His next rival will be the Belgian Zizou Bergs, from the qualifying phase and executioner of Luca Nardi by beating him 6-1, 6-4.

In other results of the day, the American Nishesh Basavareddy, of the #NextGenATP, gave the surprise by beating the Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, 2024 champion, with sets of 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in two hours and 25 minutes. In the quarterfinals he will face his compatriot and friend Alex Michelsen, who has just beaten Italian Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(3), 6-2.

Finally, Jakub Mensik starred in one of the great victories this Wednesday at the ASB Classic. The #NextGenATP Czech beat top seed Ben Shelton 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-5 in two hours and 38 minutes.

Mensik, who arrived after reaching the quarter-finals in Brisbane (l. to Mpetshi Perricard), is making sure to repeat at least the same result in Auckland. If he wants to improve it, he will have to defeat the Portuguese Nuno Borges, who came back from the Argentine Mariano Navone 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 in two hours and 31 minutes.