ATP Tour

Baez extends winning streak with opening Santiago victory

Four days after lifting his fifth and biggest ATP Tour title in Rio de Janeiro, Sebastian Baez earned his way back into the win column on Thursday at the Movistar Chile Open. The second-seeded Argentine defeated Juan Pablo Varillas 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to open his campaign at the ATP 250 and extend his perfect record in their Lexus ATP Head2Head to 4-0.

Baez will enter his 16th tour-level quarter-final (9-6) on a six-match winning streak. He ends February with an 11-2 record in the month, during which he also reached the Cordoba semis and the Buenos Aires quarters in his home nation.

"I thought in the first set I had many chances to take the break and to do better in the important moments. But sometimes I can't take everything," said Baez, who lost the opening set from a break up at 4-3.

"But I'm happy to take the match because we know each other so much from years ago, from the Futures and Challengers. I know him, I know he's playing so good, so I'm happy to be in the next round and for sure I have to be focused on my next opponent. It will be a difficult match for sure."

Eighth seed Jaume Munar awaits in the quarter-finals, after he beat fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, 6-1 earlier on Thursday. Munar, who has not dropped a set in his two wins this week, saved 10 of 13 break points according to Infosys ATP Stats to keep his opponent from tightening the scoreline.

In an all-Chilean nightcap, fourth seed Alejandro Tabilo downed Tomas Barrios Vera 6-2, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals on home soil. While this was the first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the two 26-year-olds, Barrios Vera won all four of their previous matches on the Futures and ATP Challenger Tour levels.

Sorry, Alejandro Tabilo can't come to the phone right now 📵@chile_open | #ChileOpen pic.twitter.com/68MQO6Oncj

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Tabilo will next meet Luciano Darderi after the Italian's second three-set win of the week. Darderi saved a pair of match points to edge Facundo Bagnis on Tuesday and beat another Argentine in Juan Manuel Cerundolo on Thursday, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.