Rublev speeds past Baez to avenge past defeat in Nordea Open

Four years after he went down to him, Andrey Rublev exacted revenge against Sebastian Baez at the Nordea Open, racing to victory in the quarterfinals of the ATP 250 event on clay in the Swedish town of Bastad on Friday.

The top seed and 2023 champion in Bastad dispatched Argentina’s Baez 6-1, 6-2 in just an hour on Friday afternoon to book his semifinal spot. For Rublev, it was a satisfying victory against a player who had prevailed in straight sets in the pair’s only previous ATP head-to-head meeting, at the same venue in 2022.

"It feels great,” Rublev said after his victory against World No. 56 Baez. "First of all, to be back in Bastad and then second to be back here in the semi-final after a great win against a tough player, whom I only played once, in Sebastian. It was here in Bastad, and he beat me quite easily, so for me it was a great challenge today to see the changes that I’m doing. It was a good test for me, and I felt very proud to be able to win in straight sets.”

Rublev converted four of eight break points he earned against Baez, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to advance to his 50th tour-level semi-final. The 28-year-old is the sixth man born since 1990 to hit that tally, after Grigor Dimitrov, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Jannik Sinner.

Now 23-13 for the season, Rublev will take on Alejandro Tabilo on Saturday on the Swedish coast in pursuit of his second championship-match appearance of 2026 (after Barcelona). The third-seeded Tabilo advanced to the last four by walkover after Thiago Agustin Tirante withdrew from the pair’s quarter-final clash due to injury.

In the bottom half of the draw, Luciano Darderi prevailed in a clash of former champions against Nuno Borges. The second-seeded Darderi, chasing his second ATP Tour crown of the season after winning Santiago in February, saved three set points in the opening-set tie-break before overcoming Borges 7-6(9), 6-4.

Awaiting the World No. 18 Darderi in the semi-finals will be Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, who defeated Stefano Travaglia 7-6(5), 6-2 in his first ATP Tour quarter-final. With his triumph, Vallejo became the first Paraguayan to reach an ATP Tour semi-final since Ramon Delgado in Costa do Sauipe in 2002.

Indo-Asian News Service