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Sebastián Báez Reaches Auckland Final After Toppling Shelton and Giron

The 25-year-old stretched his season start to seven straight wins to earn a title shot against Jakub Mensik.

Overview

  • Báez completed a rain-interrupted quarterfinal by defeating world No. 8 Ben Shelton 7-5, 6-3, ending Shelton’s perfect 12-0 record against Argentines.
  • Hours later, he beat Marcos Giron 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the ASB Classic final with two victories in a single day.
  • The run includes Báez’s third career Top-10 win and his second of 2026, following his United Cup defeat of Taylor Fritz.
  • He is set to face No. 18 Jakub Mensik for the title after the Czech also won two matches to reach the final.
  • Báez’s surge pushed his 2026 record to 7-0 and lifted his ranking projection to No. 36, underscoring his strong early-season form.