• Brandon Nakashima was eliminated by the Czech in a three-set match that lasted just over two hours.
• Tomas Machac will play his second ATP Tour final and first at ATP 500

Acapulco, February 28, 2025.- The Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC already knows its first finalist of the XXXII edition: Czech Tomas Machac, current No. 25 of the PIF ATP Rankings, who will enter the Top 20 if he wins the final on Saturday. It is his second chance for a tour-level title and first ATP 500 final.

The tournament had not had a Czech finalist since 1998, but after a little more than two hours of play, the 24-year-old managed to beat American Nakashima 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in what was the first meeting between the two.

In the first semifinal that opened the activity at the Arena GNP Seguros stadium, Nakashima lost his serve at 4-3 in the first set and could not recover in what was the longest set with 51 minutes. In the second set, he completely dominated his opponent in half an hour and took advantage of the break twice. 

The world No. 42 was also more consistent in his first serve throughout the match, with 7 aces and 64% of effectiveness, in addition to 74% of points won with his first serve, however Machac was slightly better with his second serve and also saved five of eight breaks.

Finally, the third set was more level, both broke each other’s serve to reach 4-4 and after 44 minutes Machac was on his way to the victory and eliminated his 23 year old rival. He is the fourth player with the most wins (24) since the 2024 US Open, behind only the Top 3 players.

“The key was to try to play my usual tennis. I just want to be on the court as much as possible because I feel great, you have to focus and believe in yourself and your game. That’s the key for any player, to always fight for every ball. I’m excited to be in the final tomorrow,” he assured. 

Machac revealed that he arrived in Acapulco early, as he has been in the port of Acapulco for 12 days, which helped him feel more comfortable in the tournament.

Nakashima went through one of the best weeks of his career by playing his first ATP 500 quarterfinals and semifinals, but the finalist’s solidity has been one of the highlights of the tournament. On his way to the final, Machac defeated compatriot Jakub Mensik in the first round, Daniel Altmaier in the round of 16 and young sensation Learner Tien in the quarterfinals.