Sebastian Baez overcame his own mistakes in a tough semifinal against top-seeded Borna Coric, winning 6-3, 6-7, 7-6. He triumphed despite missed chances, securing his second ATP title this season. In a recent match, he defeated #1 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 and then dominated Dominic Thiem, claiming his third title. This victory in Winston Salem is remarkable as he hadn’t reached hard court quarterfinals at this level before and had minimal hard court play since March. He conquered strong opponents like Vukic, Djere, and Coric. After a shaky first half of the year, Baez is now seizing opportunities and eyeing a career-best ranking with consecutive titles.
Jiri Lehecka’s recent semifinal outcomes have shown stark differences. He suffered a loss to Andy Murray in Doha after failing to convert a 5-4, 40*-0 lead. However, he got an easy pass to the Winston Salem final this week due to a walkover from Sebastian Korda. Lehecka faced disappointment in his prior ATP semifinals, losing to Tsitsipas and Murray. His swift win this week must have been a relief. He reached the ATP Next Gen Finals’ final match in 2022 but lost to Brandon Nakashima. Czech players, like Berdych and Rosol, have found success in Winston Salem, with Rosol grabbing the title in 2014 by defeating Janowicz in the final.
