Rising star Sebastian Baez will take on Juan Pablo Varillas in a 2024 Chile Open Round of 16 clash. The SportsRush’s Sebastian Baez vs Juan Pablo Varillas prediction backs Baez to win in straight sets.
The 23-year-old Argentine received a bye into the second round in Santiago being the second seed. He is in great form, going deep in all the South American swing tournaments. He enters the Chile Open fresh off a title victory at the Rio Open. Overall, he has an incredible 12-5 record for the year.
Varillas, meanwhile, beat World No.114 Francisco Comesana in three sets in the opening round. This marked his first win of the Golden Swing, having exited the previous three events in the first round. That was, in fact, his first win of the year, coming into the Chile Open with a 0-6 main draw record. The Peruvian has fallen to World No.119 after peaking at No.60 in June 2023.
The Sebastian Baez vs Juan Pablo Varillas ATP Tour head-to-head is 3-0 in favour of the Argentine. However, they have crossed paths a further six times on the Challenger circuit or in qualifying rounds. Baez again trumps Varillas 4-2, meaning he has a 7-2 lead heading into their 10th clash. The youngster is at a career-high World No.21 rank, riding high on confidence after bagging his first ATP 500 title, fifth overall.
The gulf in class and form could not be more obvious. Barring a humongous upset, expect Baez to walk away with a straightforward victory. The winner will face either Jaume Munar or Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the next round.
The match is scheduled for Thursday, February 29, no earlier than 3:20 pm local time (1:20 pm ET). TennisTV will stream this tie worldwide whereas fans in the USA can watch on Tennis Channel Plus. Conditions will be sunny with temperatures around 30°C.
