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Former Grand Slam champion Gustavo Kuerten received a standing ovation during the championship match between Sebastian Baez and Mariano Navone at the 2024 Rio Open.
Seeded fifth at the 2024 Rio Open, Sebastian Baez defeated the likes of Corentin Moutet, Facundo Diaz Acosta, and Thiago Monteiro, before getting the better of Francisco Cerundolo in the semifinals.
In the championship match, the World No. 21 defeated compatriot and qualifier Navone 6-2, 6-1 to win his first ATP 500 level title and the fifth tour-level trophy of his career.
Three-time Grand Slam champion and Brazilian tennis legend Gustavo Kuerten was also present at the stadium during the final match. The match took place on the central court, which was officially named the Guga Kuerten court on February 16, 2016, in honor of the former World No. 1.
Kuerten was warmly welcomed by the home crowd with a long standing ovation.
Watch the standing ovation video here:
Baez had begun his South American clay court swing at the Argentina Open. The World No. 21 defeated Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the opening match and then defeated Luciano Darderi in the next round. However, his run was cut short in the quarterfinals by compatriot Federico Coria.
Gustavo Kuerten won three French Open titles in his career
Gustavo Kuerten won three Grand Slam titles throughout his career, all of which came at the French Open. In 1997, Kuerten defeated Spaniard Sergi Bruguera in the final with a score of 6–3, 6–4, 6–2, claiming his first Major singles title. This victory marked him as the first unseeded player since Mats Wilander in 1982 and the first Brazilian to win a men's singles Grand Slam title.
Three years later, in 2000, Kuerten secured his second French Open title by defeating Magnus Norman 6–2, 6–3, 2–6, 7–6(8–6) in the final to add another Major title to his name.
Kuerten's success continued in 2001 when he successfully defended his French Open title by defeating Alex Corretja 6–7(3–7), 7–5, 6–2, 6–0 in the championship match, claiming his third and final Grand Slam title of his career.
Gustavo Kuerten boasts a 36-12 win-loss record at the French Open. Throughout his career, he won a total of 20 singles titles. The Brazilian tennis star retired in 2008, and four years later, in 2012, he was honored with induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
