Roberto Carballes Baena Upsets No. 4 Seed Holger Rune in First Round of US Open

Roberto Carballes Baena has pulled off a major upset at the US Open

The 30-year-old Spanish tennis player, ranked No. 63 in the world, downed No. 4 seed Holger Rune 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, on Monday at Flushing Meadows for his first-ever victory over a top-10 player.

Roberto Carballes BaenaRune, a 20-year-old Dane who cracked the top 5 after reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open and Wimbledon, had complained before the match about being assigned to one of the outer courts, sarcastically posting a map of Flushing Meadows on X, formerly known as Twitter, to help his fans find it.

“I just didn’t expect to play on that court,” Rune said afterward. “That’s obviously disappointing but not going to blame the court on the loss.”

Rune suffered early exits from tuneup events in Toronto and Cincinnati and there were early signs of trouble on Monday as he failed to earn a break point in the first set.

Carballes Baena converted on break point chances in the fifth and ninth games, but his serve lost its firepower in the second set, when Rune finally broke in the third game.

Carballes Baena, who won in Marrakech earlier this year, cleaned up his act in the third set, when he broke Rune to love in the eighth game, and had clear control over the match in the fourth set, when he dropped only a single first-serve point.

The tournament lasts two weeks and wraps up with the women’s singles final on September 9, and the men’s singles final on September 10.

Roberto Carballes Baena Defeats Alexandre Muller to Win Grand Prix Hassan II

Roberto Carballes Baena is back in the winner’s circle…

The 30-year-old Spanish tennis player came from behind to win the Grand Prix Hassan II on Sunday, beating Alexandre Muller 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2 in a three-hour final.

“I am so tired, but I am very, very happy,” Carballes Baena said. “It was a very, very tough match.”

Neither player was seeded in the tournament.

Carballes Baena won his only previous matchup with the Frenchman in 2019 at Roland Garros.

Carballes Baena, who won his only previous ATP final in 2018 at Quito, is projected to climb to No. 49 in the rankings on Monday.

Muller, who will enter the top 100 for the first time Monday, was playing his first tour-level final.

Roberto Carballes Baena Defeats Daniel Evans to Advance to Grand Prix Hassan II Final

Roberto Carballes Baena continues his upsetting ways…

For the third time this week at the Grand Prix Hassan II, the 30-year-old Spanish tennis player has defeated a seeded opponent in Marrakech.

Roberto Carballes BaenaOn Saturday, Carballes Baena came from behind to upset second seed Daniel Evans 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 and advance to his second tour-level final.

Carballes Baena, who won his only previous title match in Quito in 2018, picked up his first win against a Top 35 opponent this season in what was his first tour-level semifinal since he reached the last four in Bastad in 2021.

“I don’t know why, but all the time that I come here I think I play my best tennis,” said Carballes Baena, who improved to 10-3 in Marrakech, with a previous semifinal run in 2014 as a qualifier and a quarter-final run last season. “I won my first Challenger also here [in Morocco]. I feel very good and I will try to do a good match tomorrow.”

Carballes Baena used a five-game flurry to turn the match around from 3-4 in the second set. He had not broken serve since the opening game of the match, but he did so in consecutive return games to win the second set and take a 2-0 lead in the decider.

As his relentless baseline game continued to reap rewards, Carballes Baena’s third break of the match gave him a 4-1 lead, and he consolidated his advantage by saving a break point in the ensuing service game.

After knocking of fifth seed Maxime Cressy in the first round and fourth seed Tallon Griekspoor in the quarters, both in three sets, Carballes Baena will meet an unseeded opponent in Sunday’s final: Alexandre Muller.

“I will try to see the match now a little bit,” the Spaniard said. “They are playing very well so for sure it will be a very tough match tomorrow.”

Jaume Munar Defeats Fabio Fognini to Advance to the Argentina Open Quarterfinals

Jaume Munaris making his mark in Argentina…

The 21-year-old Spanish tennis player defeated No. 2 seed Fabio Fognini at the Argentina Open 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 on Wednesday in the round of 16.

Jaume Munar

Fognini’s compatriot, third-seeded Marco Cecchinato, had better luck and won his tie with Chile’s Christian Garin 7-6 (4), 6-4.

Cecchinato will play Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena in the quarterfinals. The Spaniard advanced after a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.

In an all-Argentine game, Guido Pella beat Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (5).

Pella will face Spain’s Munar in the next round of the clay court tournament.

No. 1 seed Dominic Thiem of Austria will play his first match in the Argentina Open on Thursday against Germany’s Maximilian Marterer.