Santiago
Pedro Martinez broke new ground Sunday at the Chile Open, overcoming Sebastian Baez 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to lift his maiden ATP Tour trophy in Santiago. The Spaniard, who was competing in his second tour-level final, backed up his hard-fought semi-final victory over home favourite Alejandro Tabilo with another battling performance against Baez in front of a lively crowd. Martinez rallied from a break down in the second set as he mixed grit with quality to eventually triumph against the Argentine after two hours and 44 minutes.
The World No. 72 has showcased his mental and physical strength throughout the week at the clay-court event, prevailing in the deciding set three times en route to the title. He will rise to a career-high No. 52 on Monday. "I am very happy," Martinez said in his on-court interview. "It was a big battle. He has played unbelievably well in the past year. I played very well at the end and am really happy. I always fight until the end and that can give you opportunities." The 24-year-old is the fourth Spaniard to win a tour-level trophy this year, joining Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal and Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
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