Sebastian Baez, Solana Sierra score first wins of 2026 tennis season at United Cup

Sebastian Baez and Solana Sierra have become the first man and woman to score tour-level wins in 2026, as they both posted straight-set victories as Argentina defeated Spain in the first tie of this year’s United Cup event.

Every tie at the event is a best-of-three-match format, with men’s singles, women’s singles and mixed doubles—but by winning both singles matches, Argentina already clinched victory over Spain without needing mixed doubles.

Baez was officially the first winner of 2026 on either tour, defeating Jaume Munar in the first match of the tie, 6-4, 6-4.

The match began with some technical difficulties—Munar’s first serve was called out twice by the electronic line-calling system, and after he challenged the call it turned out the serve was in, and the point was replayed. He reset and ended up holding to love, ripping three winners in that opening game—two off the backhand and one ace.

After putting together the best season of his career in 2025 and coming into 2026 at a career-high ranking of No. 33, it looked like the Spaniard had picked up right where he left off. He even had break point in both of Baez’s first two service games.

But Baez held both times, broke for 3-2 and was never behind again, eventually closing it out after an hour and 43 minutes on court.

“Jaume has been playing really well the last year, so I’m happy to start well this time,” the Argentine, a former Top 20 player, said. “The crowd was amazing. I really enjoyed this moment and the time on the court, and I’m happy to win this one for Argentina.”

Sierra, best known for her run to the fourth round of Wimbledon last year as a lucky loser—the first woman in the Open Era to do that—was next up against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, and it was anything but straightforward.

After facing a point to go down an early double break serving at 1-3, 30-40, Sierra caught fire, winning 10 of the next 13 games to build a 6-4, 5-2 lead, seemingly on her way to a routine straight-set victory.

The match turned on a dime from there, as the errors started piling up for the 21-year-old Argentine, while Bouzas Maneiro started hitting all the right spots. The Spaniard won five games in a row to take the second set, 7-5.

But there was one last momentum shift to come, and it was a big one, as Sierra found her range one more time and reeled off six games in a row of her own for a 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 victory.

“She’s an amazing player and I knew it was going to be really tough,” Sierra said of Bouzas Maneiro afterwards. “I just tried to focus on my game. I was doing really well, then at 5-2 in the second set I wasn’t doing too well. I’m really proud that I kept going and won it in the third set.”

Though Argentina already clinched the tie, the mixed doubles followed soon after as Spain tried to close the scoreline to 2-1, with Munar and Bouzas Maneiro taking on Guido Andreozzi and Maria Lourdes Carle.