\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t Day four at the 2026 Argentina Open saw Sebasti\u00e1n B\u00e1ez (ATP singles ranked 34) cement his title-candidate credentials with a 6-4, 6-3 victory against Per\u00fa\u2019s Ignacio Buse (96) in just under an hour and a half.<\/p>\n
The 25-year-old opened the night shift playing confidently from the back, using his serve smartly and pushing when he needed to, to give a masterclass in his first game on clay of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I improved as the game progressed today,\u201d he told the Herald in the press conference. \u201cI was feeling well from previous days, in practice and everything. Obviously, there were some nerves in the match, but I think I got through it well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to always focus on the next point, the next game, so I don\u2019t know if I\u2019d place myself among the candidates,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m improving, and I want to keep doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
B\u00e1ez\u2019s 9-2 record across three tournaments in 2026 has come as a surprise to many after struggling for most of last year. B\u00e1ez said he\u2019s been trying to \u201cbe more aggressive,\u201d focusing on pushing rivals more often with his serves and groundstrokes. Regaining his confidence, he added, has been the key.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think feeling good again, feeling quick again, and feeling solid at the baseline gives you more confidence to keep improving and finding new tools,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
And although his performance has undoubtedly made him one of the title favorites in Buenos Aires, B\u00e1ez is still reluctant to embrace the tag.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to always focus on the next point, the next game, so I don\u2019t know if I\u2019d place myself among the candidates,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m improving and I want to keep doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019ll now go up against Camilo Ugo Carabelli (47), who beat Mariano Navone (73) by 6-2, 7-5.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The duel between countrymen proved a grueling, hard-fought affair. Carabelli earned the win thanks to a rock-solid game from the back that allowed him to take advantage of Navone\u2019s erratic shotmaking.<\/p>\n
Darderi and Mart\u00ednez move on After three days of intense heat, the weather gave fans some respite on day four during the day shift.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The action started with Argentine-born Italian Luciano Darderi (22) beating Chile\u2019s Tom\u00e1s Barrios Vera 6-1, 6-3.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Darderi is one of the in-form players of the season, recently coming off a fourth-round exit at the 2026 Australian Open, his best result ever at a Grand Slam.<\/p>\n
Darderi showed his class throughout the match, outplaying Barrios Vera at most points. Only a slip-up in the second set saw him concede his serve up 4-1, but he was able to wrap it up closely after.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I\u2019ve improved a lot mentally when it comes to key moments,\u201d Darderi said in the press conference.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t lose my head so much like before. I used to have a lot more moments like the one I had today, at 4-1 up, when you make two or three mistakes in a row. I was talking about it with my team, and it\u2019s something that can\u2019t happen if I want to compete at an even higher level.\u201d<\/p>\n
His next rival will be Spain\u2019s Pedro Mart\u00ednez (94) on Friday.<\/p>\n
Mart\u00ednez wrapped the day shift at the Guillermo Vilas Center Court against Argentine Juan Manuel Cer\u00fandolo, taking the win 7-6 (5), 6-4<\/p>\n
The Argentine looked the better player for most of the first set, making it uncomfortable for Mart\u00ednez, who looked to rattle him with tricks like a lower-hand serve or moonballs high in the air. However, he lost focus on the tiebreak, which ended up costing him.<\/p>\n
He continued to struggle in the second set. Mart\u00ednez took the lead early on but couldn\u2019t serve the match out at 5-3. However, Cer\u00fandolo\u2019s comeback stopped just as it got started as he conceded his serve once again to lose 6-4.<\/p>\n
Cover photo: Sebasti\u00e1n B\u00e1ez<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Day four at the 2026 Argentina Open saw Sebasti\u00e1n B\u00e1ez (ATP singles ranked 34) cement his title-candidate credentials with a 6-4, 6-3 victory against Per\u00fa\u2019s Ignacio Buse (96) in just under an hour and a half. The 25-year-old opened the night shift playing confidently from the back, using his serve smartly and pushing when he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":35063,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5816,7839,67,5570],"tags":[5814,7835,1369,5568],"class_list":["post-35062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-2026-argentina-open","category-sebastian-baez","category-sports","category-tennis","tag-2026-argentina-open","tag-sebastian-baez","tag-sports","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}