Ariel Behar
Uruguayan professional tennis player (born 1989)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ariel Behar (Spanish pronunciation: [aˈɾjel βeˈaɾ];[1][a] born November 12, 1989) is a Uruguayan professional tennis player who specializes in doubles. He has a career-high ATP doubles ranking of world No. 34 achieved on 6 May 2024. He has won three ATP Tour doubles titles, all of them with Ecuadorian Gonzalo Escobar.
Behar at the 2021 French Open | |
| Country (sports) | |
|---|---|
| Residence | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Born | 12 November 1989 Montevideo, Uruguay |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Turned pro | 2006 |
| Plays | Right Handed (Double Handed Backhand) |
| Prize money | US $1,498,458 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 1–5 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 823 (17 February 2014) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 137–162 |
| Career titles | 3 |
| Highest ranking | No. 34 (6 May 2024) |
| Current ranking | No. 93 (16 February 2026) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (2024) |
| French Open | 2R (2022, 2023) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2023) |
| US Open | 3R (2022) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2023) |
| French Open | 2R (2024) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (2021, 2022) |
| Last updated on: 28 February 2026. | |
Personal life
Behar played tennis for the first time at 3 years old and began playing seriously aged 10. Growing up, he admired Roger Federer and Andre Agassi. He is from a Jewish family but is "not a big fan" of religion.[3]
Professional career
2012–2017: ATP and Grand Slam singles debut
Since the mid 2010s till 2017, Behar competed primarily on the ATP Challenger Tour, where he won 7 doubles titles.
Partnering with Aliaksandr Bury, he was a semifinalist at the 2017 Estoril Open.
He entered the main draw at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships, his first appearance at a Grand Slam.
2018–2022: Three doubles titles, 15 Challenger titles, top 40
Partnering with Ecuadorian Gonzalo Escobar, Behar won two ATP titles at the 2021 Delray Beach Open and the 2021 Andalucía Open[4] and reached three other finals on the ATP tour in 2021 after winning two ATP Challenger Tour titles together in 2020. The pair won a total of eight Challenger titles between 2018 and 2020. Behar entered the top 50 following the final at the 2021 Serbia Open on 26 April 2021. He finished the year 2021 ranked No. 41, a career-high year-end doubles ranking and reached his career-high doubles ranking of No. 39 on 31 January 2022 following the 2022 Australian Open. Also in 2022, he reached a fourth final and won his third ATP 250 title with Escobar at the 2022 Serbia Open defeating top seeds Nikola Mektić and Mate Pavić.[5]
2023: Wimbledon quarterfinal, two ATP finals, back to top 50
At the 2023 Córdoba Open he reached the quarterfinals with Nicolas Barrientos.[6] At the next Golden swing tournament he reached the final at the 2023 Argentina Open also with Barrientos where they lost to Simone Bolelli/Fabio Fognini.[7]
At the 2023 French Open he won his first round match with new partner Adam Pavlásek over Albert Ramos Viñolas and Bernabe Zapata Miralles. At the 2023 Wimbledon Championships he reached the quarterfinals of a Major for the first time with Adam Pavlásek defeating former Wimbledon champions, ninth seeded pair of Nikola Mektić and Mate Pavić before losing to eventual champions Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski.[8] As a result he returned to the top 50 on 17 July 2023.
He reached his tenth ATP final and second of the season with Pavlasek at the 2023 European Open but lost to the Tsitsipas brothers.[9]
2024: Australian Open quarterfinal and Madrid final, top 35
At the 2024 Australian Open he made the quarterfinals with Pavlasek. The Uruguayan-Czech team upset fifth seeds Santiago González and Neal Skupski in three sets to advance and face next, first time doubles quarterfinalists newly formed Chinese-Czech duo of Zhang Zhizhen and Tomáš Macháč.[10] As a result he returned the top 40 in the rankings on 29 January 2024.[11]
Ranked No. 39 at the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open, he reached his first Masters final with Pavlasek, defeating tenth seeds Marcelo Arévalo and Mate Pavić, third seeds Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski, 15th seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow and second seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos by walkover.[12] As a result he reached the top 35 in the rankings on 6 May 2024. They lost in the final to Sebastian Korda and Jordan Thompson.[13]
Partnering with Robert Galloway, he was runner-up at the Japan Open, losing to British duo, Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool, in the final.[14][15]
ATP 1000 tournaments finals
Doubles: 1 (runner-up)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2024 | Madrid Open | Clay | 3–6, 6–7(7–9) |
ATP Tour finals
Doubles: 16 (3 titles, 13 runner-ups)
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| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Jan 2021 | Delray Beach Open, US | ATP 250 | Hard | 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–4), [10–4] | ||
| Loss | 1–1 | Mar 2021 | Argentina Open, Argentina | ATP 250 | Clay | 3–6, 5–7 | ||
| Win | 2–1 | Apr 2021 | Andalucía Open, Spain | ATP 250 | Clay | 6–2, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 2–2 | Apr 2021 | Serbia Open, Serbia | ATP 250 | Clay | 3–6, 6–7(5–7) | ||
| Loss | 2–3 | Jun 2021 | Stuttgart Open, Germany | ATP 250 | Grass | 6–4, 3–6, [8–10] | ||
| Loss | 2–4 | Jan 2022 | Adelaide International, Australia | ATP 250 | Hard | 6–7(5–7), 4–6 | ||
| Win | 3–4 | Apr 2022 | Serbia Open, Serbia | ATP 250 | Clay | 6–2, 3–6, [10–7] | ||
| Loss | 3–5 | Jun 2022 | Mallorca Championships, Spain | ATP 250 | Grass | 6–75–7, 7–68–6, [1–10] | ||
| Loss | 3–6 | Feb 2023 | Argentina Open, Argentina | ATP 250 | Clay | 2–6, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 3–7 | Oct 2023 | European Open, Belgium | ATP 250 | Hard (i) | 7–6(7–5), 4–6, [8–10] | ||
| Loss | 3–8 | Apr 2024 | Madrid Open, Spain | ATP 1000 | Clay | 3–6, 6–7(7–9) | ||
| Loss | 3–9 | Oct 2024 | Japan Open, Japan | ATP 500 | Hard | 4–6, 6–4, [10–12] | ||
| Loss | 3–10 | Feb 2025 | Dallas Open, US | ATP 500 | Hard (i) | 6–7(4–7), 6–7(4–7) | ||
| Loss | 3–11 | May 2025 | Geneva Open, Switzerland | ATP 250 | Clay | 7–6(7–4), 4–6, [9–11] | ||
| Loss | 3–12 | Jun 2025 | Eastbourne International, UK | ATP 250 | Grass | 4–6, 6–7(5–7) | ||
| Loss | 3–13 | Feb 2026 | Chile Open, Chile | ATP 250 | Clay | 4–6, 3–6 |
ATP Challenger and ITF Tour finals
Doubles: 63 (31–32)
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| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Oct 2009 | Venezuela F7, Barquisimeto | Futures | Clay | 5–7, 6–1, [4–10] | ||
| Loss | 0–2 | Oct 2009 | Venezuela F8, Caracas | Futures | Hard | 4–6, 6–3, [9–11] | ||
| Loss | 0–3 | Oct 2009 | Venezuela F9, Caracas | Futures | Hard | 6–7(5–7), 5–7 | ||
| Win | 1–3 | Jan 2011 | Brazil F2, Salvador | Futures | Clay | 6–3, 6–2 | ||
| Loss | 1–4 | Jan 2011 | Brazil F5, João Pessoa | Futures | Clay | 3–6, 5–7 | ||
| Win | 2–4 | Aug 2011 | Ecuador F5, Guayaquil | Futures | Hard | 7–6(11–9), 4–6, [10–8] | ||
| Win | 3–4 | Jan 2012 | Bucaramanga, Colombia | Challenger | Clay | 6–4, 7–6(7–5) | ||
| Loss | 3–5 | Mar 2012 | Salinas, Ecuador | Challenger | Clay | 3–6, 3–6 | ||
| Win | 4–5 | Aug 2012 | Colombia F2, Medellín | Futures | Clay | 2–1 ret. | ||
| Loss | 4–6 | Oct 2012 | Villa Allende, Argentina | Challenger | Clay | 1–6, 2–6 | ||
| Loss | 4–7 | Nov 2012 | São Leopoldo, Brazil | Challenger | Clay | 1–6, 6–7(5–7) | ||
| Loss | 4–8 | Jul 2013 | France F12, Bourg-en-Bresse | Futures | Clay | 4–6, 6–3, [4–10] | ||
| Win | 5–8 | Jun 2014 | Košice, Slovakia | Challenger | Clay | 6–4, 7–6(7–4) | ||
| Loss | 5–9 | Dec 2014 | Chile F12, Santiago | Futures | Clay | 6–7(3–7), 2–6 | ||
| Win | 6–9 | Jul 2015 | Scheveningen, Netherlands | Challenger | Clay | ret. | ||
| Win | 7–9 | Jul 2015 | Belgium F8, Middelkerke | Futures | Hard | 6–7(1–7), 6–4, [10–7] | ||
| Win | 8–9 | Feb 2016 | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
Challenger | Clay | 7–5, 6–4 | ||
| Win | 9–9 | Jun 2016 | Poprad-Tatry, Slovakia | Challenger | Clay | 6–2, 5–7, [10–5] | ||
| Loss | 9–10 | Aug 2016 | Liberec, Czech Republic | Challenger | Clay | 0–6, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 9–11 | Sep 2016 | Seville, Spain | Challenger | Clay | 2–6, 5–6 ret. | ||
| Loss | 9–12 | Oct 2016 | Orléans, France | Challenger | Hard (i) | 2–6, 5–7 | ||
| Loss | 9–13 | Oct 2016 | Lima, Peru | Challenger | Clay | 2–6, 6–7(7–9) | ||
| Win | 10–13 | Nov 2016 | Guayaquil, Ecuador | Challenger | Clay | 6–2, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 10–14 | Nov 2016 | Bogotá, Colombia | Challenger | Clay | 4–6, 1–6 | ||
| Loss | 10–15 | Sep 2017 | Genova, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 6–7(5–7), 6–7(8–10) | ||
| Win | 11–15 | Oct 2017 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Challenger | Clay | 7–6(7–3), 5–7, [10–8] | ||
| Loss | 11–16 | Nov 2017 | Montevideo, Uruguay | Challenger | Clay | 6–2, 4–6, [8–10] | ||
| Win | 12–16 | Mar 2018 | Punta del Este, Uruguay | Challenger | Clay | 6–2, 7–6(9–7) | ||
| Win | 13–16 | Mar 2018 | Marbella, Spain | Challenger | Clay | 6–3, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 13–17 | Apr 2018 | Alicante, Spain | Challenger | Clay | 3–6, 2–6 | ||
| Loss | 13–18 | Apr 2018 | Barletta, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 1–6, 2–6 | ||
| Loss | 13–19 | Apr 2018 | Francavilla, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 6–7(5–7), 6–7(3–7) | ||
| Loss | 13–20 | May 2018 | Braga, Portugal | Challenger | Clay | 2–6, 1–6 | ||
| Win | 14–20 | Jun 2018 | Vicenza, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 6–2, 6–4 | ||
| Win | 15–20 | Sep 2018 | Mallorca, Spain | Challenger | Hard | w/o | ||
| Loss | 15–21 | Oct 2018 | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
Challenger | Clay | 6–4, 3–6, [5–10] | ||
| Loss | 15–22 | Oct 2018 | Lima, Peru | Challenger | Clay | 6–2, 6–7(5–7), [5–10] | ||
| Loss | 15–23 | Jan 2019 | Playford, Australia | Challenger | Hard | 4–6, 5–7 | ||
| Loss | 15–24 | Apr 2019 | San Luis Potosi, Mexico | Challenger | Clay | 6–1, 4–6, [10–12] | ||
| Win | 16–24 | May 2019 | Jerusalem, Israel | Challenger | Hard | 6–4, 7–6(7–5) | ||
| Loss | 16–25 | Jun 2019 | Parma, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 6–1, 3–6, [7–10] | ||
| Win | 17–25 | Jul 2019 | Prague, Czech Republic | Challenger | Clay | 6–7(4–7), 7–5, [10–8] | ||
| Win | 18–25 | Sep 2019 | Genoa, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 3–6, 6–4, [10–3] | ||
| Loss | 18–26 | Sep 2019 | Biella, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 6–7(2–7), 4–6 | ||
| Win | 19–26 | Oct 2019 | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
Challenger | Clay | 6–7(5–7), 6–4, [12–10] | ||
| Win | 20–26 | Oct 2019 | Lima, Peru | Challenger | Clay | 6–2, 2–6, [10–3] | ||
| Win | 21–26 | Nov 2019 | Guayaquil, Ecuador | Challenger | Clay | 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–5) | ||
| Loss | 21–27 | Nov 2019 | Houston, USA | Challenger | Hard | 3–6, 6–7(4–7) | ||
| Win | 22–27 | Jan 2020 | Newport Beach, USA | Challenger | Hard | 6–2, 6–4 | ||
| Win | 23–27 | Aug 2020 | Todi, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 6–4, 6–2 | ||
| Win | 24–27 | Aug 2020 | Trieste, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 6–4, 6–2 | ||
| Win | 25–27 | Sep 2020 | Cordenons, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 7–5, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 25–28 | Sep 2020 | Aix-en-Provence, France | Challenger | Clay | 4–6, 6–7(4–7) | ||
| Loss | 25–29 | Oct 2020 | Parma, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 4–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 26–29 | Oct 2020 | Istanbul, Turkey | Challenger | Hard | 4–6, 6–3, [10–7] | ||
| Win | 27–29 | May 2023 | Francavilla al Mare, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 7–6(7–1), 3–6, [10–6] | ||
| Win | 28–29 | Jun 2023 | Prostějov, Czech Republic | Challenger | Clay | 7–5, 6–4 | ||
| Win | 29–29 | Jun 2023 | Bratislava, Slovakia | Challenger | Clay | 6–4, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 29–30 | Jun 2023 | Poznań, Poland | Challenger | Clay | 6–7(2–7), 6–7(2–7) | ||
| Loss | 29–31 | Aug 2024 | Lincoln, United States | Challenger | Hard | 6–7(6–8), 3–6 | ||
| Win | 30–31 | Apr 2025 | Estoril, Portugal | Challenger | Clay | 7–5, 6–3 | ||
| Win | 31–31 | May 2025 | Turin, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 6–2, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 31–32 | Mar 2026 | Alicante, Spain | Challenger | Clay | 6–4, 3–6, [13–15] |
Best Grand Slam results details
Doubles
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a Because of a delay in schedule due to rain, the first two rounds of the competition were played best-of-three sets instead of the usual best-of-five format.
Wins over top 10 players
Doubles
- Behar has a 6–12 record against players who were, at the time the match was played, ranked in the top 10.
| # | Opponents | Rank | Event | Surface | Rd | Score | Partner | ABR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ||||||||
| 1. | 9 22 |
Melbourne, Australia | Hard | QF | 7–6(7–4), 6–3 | 60 | ||
| 2. | 274 9 |
Stuttgart, Germany | Grass | SF | 7–6(7–5), 1–6, [14–10] | 51 | ||
| 2022 | ||||||||
| 3. | 7 4 |
Belgrade, Serbia | Clay | F | 6–2, 3–6, [10–7] | 49 | ||
| 4. | 18 9 |
Rome, Italy | Clay | 1R | 6–7(2–7), 6–3, [10–5] | 49 | ||
| 5. | 1 2 |
Montreal, Canada | Hard | 2R | 6–4, 7–6(7–3) | 46 | ||
| 2024 | ||||||||
| 6. | 10 11 |
AO, Melbourne, Australia | Hard | 3R | 3-6, 7-6 (7–1), 6-4 | 48 | ||