Roberto Bautista Agut


Roberto Bautista Agut is a Spanish professional tennis player.
Bautista Agut has won nine ATP singles titles, the biggest being the 2018 Dubai Tennis Championships, an ATP 500 tournament. His biggest final to date was the 2016 Shanghai Masters, where he lost to Andy Murray. His best result at a major was at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, where he reached the semifinals.

Tennis career

Juniors

As a junior, Bautista Agut compiled a singles win/loss record of 41–13, reaching as high as No. 47 in junior world rankings in July 2006.

2009–2012: Pro tour highlights

In 2009, Bautista Agut qualified for the ATP 500 tournament in Valencia, where he lost to Albert Montañés in the first round.
He qualified for his first Grand Slam appearance in the 2012 Australian Open. He went on to lose in the first round to Ricardo Mello in straight sets. On 13 August 2012, Bautista Agut broke into the top 100 for the first time after strong performances in Challenger tournaments. He reached his first ATP-level quarterfinal at St. Petersburg later that year, losing to Fabio Fognini.

2013: First professional final

His first tournament of 2013, in Chennai, saw him reach his first career ATP final. Bautista Agut defeated world No. 6, Tomáš Berdych, in the quarterfinals in three sets and faced world No. 9, Janko Tipsarević, in the final, to whom he lost after winning the first set.
Bautista Agut then followed his maiden career final with his career best Grand Slam performance at the Australian Open. After defeating Fabio Fognini in a first round five-setter, he wasn't able to get the better of Jürgen Melzer in the following round.
At Roland Garros, he created more history after a second-round performance meant that he had achieved a new career best performance, after failing to even qualify at the main event for three consecutive occasions. His tournament ended to local Jérémy Chardy.
At the Topshelf Open, Bautista Agut went through to the quarterfinals, before losing to Xavier Malisse.
At the Wimbledon, he went on to make another second-round appearance after defeating Russian qualifier Teymuraz Gabashvili in the first round. However, he was unable to cope with the challenge of taking on his childhood idol, David Ferrer, in the second round, losing in four sets.
Bautista Agut then took part at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart. He made it all the way to the semifinal where he lost to eventual champion Fabio Fognini.
On 15 July, Bautista Agut broke the top 50 for the first time. One week later, his ranking improved by one placing which gave him his career best placing of 48.
At the US Open, he ensured another best performance, and another second round finish. After beating Thomaz Bellucci in the first round, he faced Ferrer in the second, where Bautista Agut lost in four sets.
He finished the year with another quarterfinal appearance at the St. Petersburg Open, with eventual champion Ernests Gulbis, preventing the Spaniard any chance from advancing further in the tournament.
At the conclusion of the 2013 season, Bautista Agut finished with a rank of 58.

2014: Career breakthrough: First two titles and top 15 ranking

His 2014 campaign began in Auckland, where he made the semifinals of the Heineken Open. He lost to third seed and eventual champion, John Isner, after winning the first set.
Bautista Agut started az the Australian Open with a first-round, straight-sets victory over unseeded American Tim Smyczek. In the second, he faced world No. 5 Juan Martín del Potro. He recorded one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, beating del Potro in five sets to record his first win in seven matches against a top-ten player.
His surprising performances earned him a call-up to Spain for their clash with Germany in the Davis Cup. Bautista Agut lost both of his rubbers to Philipp Kohlschreiber and Daniel Brands. Germany won the tie 4–1.
In March, Bautista Agut participated in the first Masters 1000 event of the year at Indian Wells. In the second round, he faced Tomáš Berdych, and secured his second top-ten win of the year, winning in three sets after losing the first. His tournament ended in the fourth round with a defeat to Ernests Gulbis.
In May, Roberto participated in the Madrid Masters. He made it all the way to the tournament's semifinals after beating former top-ten players, Tommy Robredo and Fernando Verdasco and in-form Barcelona finalist Santiago Giraldo en route to this stage. In the semifinal, Bautista Agut was defeated by world No. 1, Rafael Nadal.
Roberto then played in the French Open. This was his first Grand Slam tournament where he was one of the top 32 seeded players, seeded 27th. Bautista Agut beat Paolo Lorenzi, and Frenchman Benoît Paire but he was unable to beat world No. 6, Tomáš Berdych, for a second time in three months, ending his tournament in the third round after a four-set defeat.
In preparation for Wimbledon, he played in the Topshelf Open, a grass-court tournament in 's-Hertogenbosch, as the third seed. Bautista Agut won the title, his first ATP title, defeating former champion Benjamin Becker in the final in three sets.
He then played in the Wimbledon Championships. After defeating Steve Johnson and Jan Hernych, his run ended at the hands of the defending champion Andy Murray in the third round.
He went back to playing on clay courts as the third seed in the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart. In the semifinal, Bautista Agut recorded an upset, beating defending champion Fabio Fognini for only the second time in his career. This result led him to take on Lukáš Rosol in the final. This was his third professional ATP tournament final. Bautista Agut won the final in three sets, claiming his second 250-level title.
In the US Open, Bautista Agut reached the fourth round, after defeating Andreas Haider-Maurer, Tim Smyczek, and Adrian Mannarino on the way to taking on the No. 2 seed Roger Federer for the first time. Despite his efforts, he could not stop Federer's dominance at the net, and he therefore lost in straight sets. This was his best ever US Open campaign and he equaled his best career Grand Slam result.
Bautista Agut went to Russia to play in the Kremlin Cup tournament held in Moscow. He advanced all the way to the final where he took on the 2014 US Open champion, Marin Čilić, in the final. His tournament ended with a tight straight-set defeat.
After his outstanding season, Bautista Agut won the ATP's Most Improved Player award.
At the end of the best season in his career so far, he finished 2014 with a singles ranking of world No. 15, and a doubles ranking of No. 255.

2015: Drops out of top 20

Bautista Agut began his new season, as the third seed, in the Aircel Chennai Open. He progressed to the semifinal where he lost to British qualifier Aljaž Bedene.
In February, Bautista Agut travelled to France to play in the Open 13 tournament in Marseille. His tournament ended in the semifinals against the entertaining local star, Gaël Monfils.
In April, Bautista Agut travelled to Spain to play on the clay courts at the Barcelona Open. He made it to the quarterfinals where he was defeated in a tight three-setter by defending champion Kei Nishikori.
Later that month, he travelled to Germany to play in the BMW Open in Munich. Bautista Agut made it all the way to the semifinals where he lost to top seed Andy Murray.
One month later, he travelled to England to play in the year's third major. Bautista Agut was the 20th seed in Wimbledon, and advanced to the fourth round to take on seven-time Wimbledon champion and tournament second seed, Roger Federer, after wins over Ruben Bemelmans, Benoît Paire, and Nikoloz Basilashvili. Bautista Agut lost the match in straight-sets.
In July, he played as the second seed in the Croatia Open and advanced to the semifinals where he was defeated by João Sousa.
In September, Bautista Agut was the 23rd seed in the US Open. After victories over Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Pablo Carreño Busta, and David Goffin, he had reached the fourth round of a major for a second consecutive time. He took on the world number one, Novak Djoković. Bautista Agut's tournament finished with a four-set defeat. Despite losing, Bautista Agut did manage to repeat his best performance in New York for a second consecutive year.
He then played in the St. Petersburg Open where he was the fourth seed. He lost in the semifinals to second seed Miloš Raonić.
He was the second seed in the Kremlin Cup, and in a repeat of the previous years final, Bautista Agut lost against Marin Čilić by the same scoreline.
He was the seventh seed in the Valencia Open. With most of the seeds falling early, it was a shock draw with Bautista Agut being the only seeded player remaining by the semifinals. Bautista Agut reached the final where he led by a set and a break against João Sousa but failed to consolidate, going on to lose the match, which was the story of his 2015 season in tournament decisive matches.
At the end of 2015, he finished outside the top 20 with a ranking of 25.

2016: Two more ATP titles, back into the top 20 and first Masters final

In the ASB Classic, Bautista Agut knocked out defending Champion Jiri Vesely, third seeded American John Isner and second seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, his first top-ten scalp in two years, on his way to the final where he took on talented American Jack Sock. He was crowned champion after the American retired in the second set.
In the Australian Open Bautista Agut was seeded 24th. After defeating Martin Kližan and Dušan Lajović, he took on 12th seed Marin Čilić in the third round. He earned his first ever win over Čilić in a shock straight-sets result setting up a match-up with the sixth seed, Tomáš Berdych. Bautista Agut lost in a tough five setter, denying him a chance at his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
His first tournament after the Australian Open was the Garanti Koza Sofia Open based in Bulgaria. Bautista Agut was the top seed and made it all the way to the final where he took on Serbian second seed Viktor Troicki. He won the match and became the inaugural Garanti Koza Sofia Open champion. This was his fourth career title and second title in 2016.
In May, Bautista Agut played in the year's second major as the 14th seed. He reached the fourth round of the French Open after he defeated Dmitry Tursunov, Paul-Henri Mathieu, and Borna Ćorić. His quest for a place in a Grand Slam quarterfinal was again ended by a top-ten player, this time by world number one, Novak Djoković. This result was his best result at the French Open and equals his best at Grand Slam level.
In early August, Bautista Agut was a representative for Spain at the Olympic Games. He advanced to the quarterfinals in Rio de Janeiro after beating Andrey Kuznetsov, Paolo Lorenzi, and Gilles Müller in the earlier rounds. His quest for an Olympic medal ended after a defeat against the eventual silver-medalist Juan Martín del Potro.
Later that month, Bautista Agut reached the final of the Winston-Salem Open in which he lost to compatriot Pablo Carreño Busta in three sets.
In the penultimate Masters 1000 event of the year, the Shanghai Masters, Bautista Agut made it to his first Masters-1000 final, defeating Bernard Tomic, qualifier Taylor Fritz, Viktor Troicki, 2015 finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and top seed and defending champion Novak Djoković. This was the first time in his career he had beaten Djoković and the first time he had defeated a world No. 1 player. In the final, he lost to Andy Murray in straight sets.
Bautista Agut finished 2016 ranked No. 14 in the world.

2017: Another two 250 titles

He began his 2017 season in Chennai where he made it all the way to the final. In the final, Bautista Agut beat Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, securing his fifth career title.
At the Wimbledon Championships, Bautista Agut was the 18th seed. He went on to beat Andreas Haider-Maurer, and Peter Gojowczyk, on his way to a third round meeting with ninth seed Kei Nishikori. Bautista Agut caused an upset beating Nishikori for the first time and claiming his seventh top-ten scalp of his career. However, he wasn't able to win back to back top-ten victories, after succumbing to a straight-sets defeat against Marin Čilić in the fourth round.
In the Rogers Cup, Bautista Agut demonstrated his best Masters 1000 performance for the year. After winning his first two matches, he took on Gaël Monfils in the third round. After losing the first set, Bautista Agut was able to secure an unlikely victory, securing his first win over the Frenchman in three tight sets. However, he then was unable to break his winless drought against Roger Federer, in the quarterfinals, losing in straight-sets.
A couple of weeks later, Bautista Agut took part in the Winston-Salem Open. He won all of his matches, without dropping a set, to win his second 250 title of the year, and sixth of his career.
Bautista Agut finished the year ranked No. 20 in the world.

2018: Champion in Dubai

In Auckland, he made it to his 13th ATP final appearance. In the final, Bautista Agut took on second seed Juan Martín del Potro, who had yet to drop a set in the tournament. He went on to beat his opponent in three sets, clinching his second Auckland title, and ending a three-match losing streak against the tall Argentine.
Bautista Agut lost in the first round of the Australian Open, meaning that his streak of ten consecutive third round appearances in majors came to an end. It was also his first loss in the opening round of a major since the end of the 2012 season, marking 20 consecutive majors where he won his opening match.
In March, he won his biggest title yet in the ATP 500 tournament in Dubai, losing only one set along the way and beating in-form Lucas Pouille in the final. Bautista Agut also became the first player outside the top ten, to win the event since Fabrice Santoro in 2002.
He finished the year ranked 24th in the world.

2019: Wimbledon semifinal, top 10 and Davis Cup title

Bautista Agut opened his season as the seventh seed at the Qatar Open. He defeated Matteo Berrettini, qualifier Guillermo García López, and three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka before facing world number one Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, whom he defeated in three close sets. In the final, he prevailed over veteran Tomáš Berdych to claim the title.
At the Australian Open, he first faced former world number one and five-time Australia Open finalist Andy Murray, defeating him in a grueling five-set contest. In the second round, Bautista Agut defeated John Millman in another five-setter. In the third, he prevailed over tenth seed Karen Khachanov in straight sets to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam event for the tenth time in his career. He reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, after he defeated the sixth-seed Marin Čilić, in five sets. In the quarterfinals, he was defeated by 14th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who was fresh off a victory over defending champion Roger Federer, in four sets. With this performance, he earned enough points to re-enter the top 20 in the ATP rankings.
Bautista Agut beat top seed Djokovic yet again at the Miami Masters. At Wimbledon, he reached his second major quarterfinal after victories over Peter Gojowczyk, Steve Darcis, world No. 9 Karen Khachanov, and Benoît Paire. He was the only player in the draw not to lose a set leading into the quarterfinals. Despite losing his first set in the quarterfinals, Bautista Agut defeated Guido Pella in four sets to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal. However, he was defeated by Djokovic in four sets.
Following back to back quarterfinal appearances at the Montreal and Cincinnati Masters events, he broke into the world's top ten for the first time in his career.

Playing style

Bautista Agut is a counterpuncher with a decent all-around game. He is able to play offensively with his forehand but thrives off his defensive ability with his consistency and quickness around the court. He has a clean flatter strike on both sides and his game is better suited for hard courts. On the forehand, which is by far his primary weapon, he uses close to an eastern which allows him a flatter hit. His backhand is easily the weaker wing and the side opponents look to target. His serve lacks pace but can create decent angles and slice.
He is known for his "no-frills" style of play grounded in consistency and precision, rather than pure power and shotmaking. However, the lack of variety in his game could also be considered a weakness.

Personal life

Roberto's nickname is "Bati". His father, Joaquín, a former football player and a banker, died in November 2019 during the Davis Cup tournament; his mother, Ester, who died unexpectedly in May 2018, owned a clothing store in Castellón de la Plana. Bautista Agut started playing tennis at the age of five when his mother signed him up to play on the weekends. His favourite shot is his forehand. His idols growing up were Juan Carlos Ferrero and David Ferrer.
Beyond tennis, he enjoys horseback riding and playing various sports. He played football for Villarreal C.F. until he was 14 when he decided to focus on his tennis career.
Bautista Agut is married to Ana Bodi Tortosa. The couple got married on 30 November 2019.

Performance timelines

Singles

Current through the 2020 Dubai Tennis Championships.
1 2019 ATP Finals alternate player.

Significant finals

ATP Masters 1000 tournaments

Singles: 1 (1 runner up)

ATP career finals

Singles: 16 (9 titles, 7 runner-ups)

ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss0–12013 Aircel Chennai Open – Singles|Chennai Open, India250 SeriesHard Janko Tipsarević6–3, 1–6, 3–6
Win1–12014 Topshelf Open – Men's Singles|Rosmalen Championships, Netherlands250 SeriesGrass Benjamin Becker
Win2–12014 MercedesCup – Singles|Stuttgart Open, Germany250 SeriesClay Lukáš Rosol6–3, 4–6, 6–2
Loss2–22014 Kremlin Cup – Men's Singles|Kremlin Cup, Russia250 SeriesHard Marin Čilić4–6, 4–6
Loss2–32015 Kremlin Cup – Men's Singles|Kremlin Cup, Russia250 SeriesHard Marin Čilić4–6, 4–6
Loss2–42015 Valencia Open – Singles|Valencia Open, Spain250 SeriesHard João Sousa6–3, 3–6, 4–6
Win3–42016 ASB Classic – Men's Singles|Auckland Open, New Zealand250 SeriesHard Jack Sock6–1, 1–0 ret.
Win4–42016 Garanti Koza Sofia Open – Singles|Sofia Open, Bulgaria250 SeriesHard Viktor Troicki6–3, 6–4
Loss4–52016 Winston-Salem Open – Singles|Winston-Salem Open, United States250 SeriesHard Pablo Carreño Busta7–6, 6–7, 4–6
Loss4–62016 Shanghai Rolex Masters – Singles|Shanghai Masters, ChinaMasters 1000Hard Andy Murray6–7, 1–6
Win5–62017 Aircel Chennai Open – Singles|Chennai Open, India250 SeriesHard Daniil Medvedev6–3, 6–4
Win6–62017 Winston-Salem Open – Singles|Winston-Salem Open, United States250 SeriesHard Damir Džumhur6–4, 6–4
Win7–62018 ASB Classic - Men's Singles|Auckland Open, New Zealand250 SeriesHard6–1, 4–6, 7–5
Win8–62018 Dubai Tennis Championships – Men's Singles|Dubai Tennis Championships, UAE500 SeriesHard Lucas Pouille6–3, 6–4
Loss8–72018 Swiss Open Gstaad – Singles|Gstaad Open, Switzerland250 SeriesClay Matteo Berrettini6–7, 4–6
Win9–72019 Qatar ExxonMobil Open – Singles|Qatar Open, Doha250 SeriesHard Tomáš Berdych6–4, 3–6, 6–3

Other finals

National representation: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-ups)

Challenger and Futures finals

Singles: 20 (13–7)

ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1–0Spain F24, MálagaFuturesClay Pedro Clar-Rosselló7–5, 6–3
Win2–0Spain F29, XàtivaFuturesClay Pedro Clar-Rosselló6–3, 6–4
Loss2–1Spain F30, BakioFuturesHard Tony Holzinger6–1, 4–6, 2–6
Loss2–2Spain F27, GandiaFuturesClay Íñigo Cervantes6–4, 5–7, 1–6
Win3–2Spain F29, XàtivaFuturesClay Gerard Granollers6–4, 6–4
Win4–2Spain F36, MartosFuturesHard James Ward3–6, 6–3, 6–2
Win5–2Spain F37, CordobaFuturesHard Jean-Noël Insausti6–7, 6–3, 6–4
Loss5–3Spain F9, BadalonaFuturesClay Albert Ramos Viñolas4–6, 4–6
Win6–3Spain F10, CastelldefelsFuturesClay Marc Fornell Mestres6–4, 6–4
Loss6–4Spain F19, LanzaroteFuturesHard José Checa-Calvo1–6, 4–6
Win7–4Spain F32, MadridFuturesHard Thomas Schoorel6–4, 6–3
Loss7–5Spain F33, MartosFuturesHard Uladzimir Ignatik1–6, 6–3, 6–7
Win8–5Spain F3, MurciaFuturesHard Sergio Gutiérrez Ferrol7–5, 6–2
Win9–5Great Britain F3, TiptonFuturesHard Daniel Smethurst7–5, 6–4
Loss9–62010 Open Diputación Ciudad de Pozoblanco – Singles|Pozoblanco, SpainChallengerHard Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo6–7, 4–6
Win10–6Spain F33, MóstolesFuturesHard Philip Bester6–7, 6–4, 6–2
Loss10–72011 Alessandria Challenger – Singles|Alessandria, ItalyChallengerClay Pablo Carreño Busta6–3, 3–6, 5–7
Win11–72012 Rai Open – Singles|Rome, ItalyChallengerClay Rui Machado6–7, 6–4, 6–3
Win12–72012 Orbetello Challenger – Singles|Orbetello, ItalyChallengerClay Dušan Lajović6–3, 6–1
Win13–72012 Open Diputación Ciudad de Pozoblanco – Singles|Pozoblanco, SpainChallengerHard Arnau Brugués Davi6–3, 6–4

Doubles: 2 (0–2)

ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss0–1Spain F8, SabadellFuturesClay Cedrik-Marcel Stebe Sergio Gutiérrez Ferrol
Boy Westerhof		2–6, 4–6
Loss0–22011 BMW Ljubljana Open – Doubles|Ljubljana, SloveniaChallengerClay Iván Navarro Aljaž Bedene
Grega Žemlja		3–6, 7–6,

Record against other players

Bautista Agut's match record against those who have been ranked in the top 10, with those who have been No. 1 in boldface
Season200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019Total
Wins00000000120310411