Argentinian tennis player Sebastián Báez (39th in the rankings) continues his winning streak at the start of the 2026 season by defeating Ben Shelton (8th) to reach the semi-finals of the ATP 250 in Auckland, New Zealand.
According to the Argentine News Agency, the player from San Martín defeated the American 7-5 and 6:3. The match had to be suspended shortly after the end of the first set due to intense rain.
Thus, Báez confirms a perfect start to the year: it is already his sixth consecutive victory, losing only two sets along the way, with two wins against top 10 players.
A good preseason can change an athlete's life. This seems to be the case with Sebastián Báez, who had only managed to win five matches between April and December of 2025 and has a completely renewed tennis game, with more aggressiveness, confidence and control of the points, even on hard court and against high-value rivals.
Ben Shelton is one of the best servers on the circuit. With a very particular shoulder turn at the moment of impact, the American is capable of serving at 220 kilometers per hour with great regularity and precision, although Báez was able to overcome this and broke his serve three times during the first set, which he won on his second set point.
After the dispute of a single game, the match had to be suspended and rescheduled for the evening of this Thursday, due to the intermittent rains that were hitting New Zealand and had increased their flow.
With the match cut off at a great moment, fans had about a day to speculate if Báez's momentum would be interrupted and there would be an improved version of Shelton that would allow him to regain control, but the San Martín native did not take long to show reality: he won two points with his serve to tie 1-1 and broke his opponent's serve at his first opportunity.
The level of the 24-year-old Argentine in the second set was impeccable. Filled with confidence, Báez continued to be dominant in the development of the points, playing with initiative and near the baseline. In addition to making good serves, being precise with the first one, which is usually the most incisive, the player trained by Sebastián Gutiérrez added a large number of winners against the lines.
Shelton, for his part, continued not to give a great image. Just as it happened to him in his match against Francisco Comesaña, in the quarterfinals, the Atlanta-born player was erratic, with problems to get over the net on low balls and with no type of initiative: at several moments of the match he had controlled returns to the middle, something very rare in his style, thus lowering the pace of the game.
Among the best points of the set was a great cross-backhand passing shot from the Argentine, which left Shelton out of action as he approached the net, and an impeccable forehand drop shot, which gave him two opportunities to close the match.
On the return, Báez counterattacked on his rival's serve with a parallel forehand, which Shelton hooked with the racket and threw to the clouds, giving the Argentine a victory in a very tough match, which affirms his great moment and surprises both his own and others.
In search of his twelfth ATP-level final, Sebastián Báez's next rival will be American Marcos Girón (60th), who comes from defeating the Italo-Argentine Luciano Darderi (24th) and was a semi-finalist of the ATP in Hong Kong last week, so he also arrives in a good moment.
