Baez denies Müller the Rio title!
Sebastian Baez won the ATP 500 in Rio for the second year running on Sunday, beating Alexandre Müller 6-2, 6-3 in the final.
Last year, Baez needed just 1h22 to win the Rio tournament against Mariano Navone. This year, against unexpected finalist Müller, the match was also quickly concluded in just 1h26 of play.
Fresher and more tactically solid, the Argentinian quickly got the better of the Frenchman, who looked blunted after his battle with Comesana the previous day.
A double break and 48 minutes of play later, Baez took the lead on the Gustavo Kuerten court. Müller tried to hang on in the second set, but it was the world No. 31 who had the last word, breaking at 3-3.
At the age of 24, Baez won his seventh ATP Tour title, his sixth on clay. He also became the first player to successfully defend his title in Rio since the tournament's inception in 2014.
Müller, meanwhile, will leap up the ATP rankings from 60th in the world to a career-high 41st.
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