- Álvaro Falla, tournament director, gives an emotional welcome to the start of the 2024 edition.
- Highlighted the great response from players, fans, Acapulco residents and authorities
Acapulco, February 26, 2024.- Álvaro Falla, director of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC, welcomed the XXXI edition of the tournament, which will be played from Monday, February 26 through Saturday, March 2 at the GNP Seguros Arena tennis complex in Acapulco.
In a press conference prior to the start of the tournament, the executive was pleased with the arrival of the zero hour, because it will show that the tournament is more alive than ever after the tourist destination suffered the devastating impact of Hurricane Otis at the end of October 2023.
“The long-awaited zero hour has arrived, for which we have worked so long and made so much effort. Today what we are giving for Acapulco becomes a reality. This is our contribution and our grain of sand,” said the executive in relation to the reconstruction in which Mextenis has taken a leading role.
Falla expressed his gratitude to the people of Acapulco and authorities at different levels of government, but also to the players, since all those who had committed to play in the tournament have complied with their attendance, except for two who could not come for other reasons such as injuries. But, undoubtedly, the solidarity and commitment of the tennis players is worthy of recognition, said Falla.
At the ticket offices, he pointed out, the enthusiasm of the fans to attend the matches has been evident, lining up to buy tickets for Monday’s opening day, although he acknowledged that attendance may decrease due to the damage suffered by the port’s lodging infrastructure.
Even so, he said, the goal is to reach 70% of the capacity in general terms. The GNP Seguros Arena has capacity for 10,000 fans and the Grandstand, the second in capacity, for 3,000.
Pleased with the response of the public, not only those who usually travel to Acapulco to watch the tournament but also the local fans who have shown their interest in attending the games, Falla emphasized that the facilities of the tennis complex are completely ready, even in better conditions than before the impact of the meteor.
He explained that the main stadium did not suffer structural damage; it was only necessary to work on the refurbishment of decorative walls, renovate warehouses, improve offices and redesign the food and beverage area, which year after year usually has a large number of fans.
The tournament has assumed an outstanding participation in the reconstruction of Acapulco, not only by making contributions from the box office takings, but also by promoting the tournament on which more than 11,000 families depend during its development, including hotel workers, local commerce and tournament workers, as well as participating in the reconstruction of housing through the Asociación Construyendo, in collaboration with Mextenis.
In sports matters, Alvaro Falla confirmed the 125th Challenger in Acapulco in April, which will be part of a tour of tournaments of its kind that includes events in San Luis Potosi, Mexico City, Cuernavaca and finally Acapulco.
“The Acapulco Challenger is a fact, it’s on the calendar. We are going to organize it. You can count on it to be an event of great category,” said the director, who recalled that Mextenis organized the Challenger of Leon last year and among more than 100 tournaments of its kind, it was recognized as the number one.
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