In what promises to be an entertaining final at the ATP Winston Salem Open, Sebastian Baez will take on Jiri Lehecka in North Carolina. Both men have been handed potentially tough first-round draws at the US Open and will no doubt be determined to maintain their fine form ahead of the final Major of the year. But who will lift the title and who will fall to defeat?
ATP Winston Salem Final Prediction
Sebastian Baez vs Jiri Lehecka
Head-to-head: Baez 1-1 Lehecka
Baez, seeded sixth at the ATP Winston Salem Open, kicked off his campaign with a 3-6 6-4 6-4 win over Daniel Elahi Galan. He was taken the distance again in the second round but hung tough to outlast Aleksandar Vukic 6-4 4-6 6-4. That set up a quarterfinal clash with Laslo Djere that he won at a canter, dropping just three games in a 6-0 6-3 win. Baez then edged out top seed Borna Coric in a final-set tiebreak to reach his first hard-court final at this level.
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Lehecka, meanwhile, rallied from a set down in the first round to beat Mitchell Krueger, before getting the better of Germany’s Dominik Koepfer in another three-set battle. The Czech then beat Cincinnati quarterfinalist Max Purcell in straight sets to reach his second tour-level semifinal of the season (ATP Qatar Open). He was due to face third seed Sebastian Korda, but the American withdrew ahead of the match to send Lehecka into the ATP Winston Salem final.
Baez won their most recent match in straight sets in the Davis Cup last year, but that win avenged a three-set defeat the Argentine suffered at Lehecka’s hands in 2020. Baez has played the better tennis so far this week, but equally Lehecka has the better record on hard courts. Which is to say, a close match is in the offing. Ultimately, however, it is hard to look past the manner in which Baez took Djere apart before beating the top seed in Coric.
Prediction: Baez in 3
Main photo credit: Albert Cesare-USA TODAY Sports
