• This is the first time an Italian has won in Acapulco, and on Monday he will be ranked 15th in the world.

Acapulco, February 28, 2026.- Flavio Cobolli was crowned champion of the Telcel Mexican Open presented by HSBC and became the first Italian to win the ATP 500 title in Acapulco, defeating American Frances Tiafoe 7-6(4), 6-4. 

The title is the third in Cobolli’s career after Hamburg, also an ATP 500, and Bucharest in 2025.

Cobolli, who will be ranked 15th in the world on Monday, showed grit and courage on the court, while Tiafoe tried to come back at every turn, saving big points, but it wasn’t enough and he fell just short. 

Tiafoe and Cobolli had faced each other twice before on the ATP Tour, with the American winning both times, the first in Delray Beach and the second in Washington. 

The Italian took the lead and went up 3-2, taking advantage of his powerful serve. However, Tiafoe did not give up and put more pressure on the net, managing to tie the game at 4-4. 

As the first set progressed, the crowd began to connect with Cobolli, who took a 5-4 lead, but the “Big Foe” kept pushing and tied it at 5-5. The match went to a tiebreak, which the Florence native won 7-6(4). 

The second set also started very evenly, with Tiafoe taking the lead, but Cobolli immediately responded, and so it went until the Italian pulled ahead 4-2 after a break, but the “Big Foe” did not give up and broke back to tie the game at 4-4. 

In the final stretch of the set, Cobolli was more accurate with his forehand and sealed the deal with an ace to be crowned champion of the Mexican tournament. 

Cobolli sealed his victory with 10 aces to Tiafoe’s six, with each player committing 28 unforced errors and 33 winners for the Italian and 20 for the American. 

With this result, Cobolli beats Tiafoe for the first time on the circuit. For his part, the American will move up six places on Monday, rising from 28th to 22nd in the world in the ATP rankings. 

“Thank you all for your support during the tournament. It’s my first title and I want to thank my team and sponsors. I’m very happy to be here in Acapulco and I’ll see you all next year,” said the Italian. 

“I played a perfect match. I knew when I was hitting the ball differently. I couldn’t lose three times to a player (Frances Tiafoe). The court helped me, it was luck and my own courage. I don’t think I’ve changed Italy’s history; they have many achievements. A hug for my team,” Flavio stated at a press conference.

• The German and Brazilian defeated American Galloway and Austrian Erler

Acapulco, February 28, 2026.- Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Brazil’s Marcelo Melo defeated the United States’ Robert Galloway and Austria’s Alexander Erler 6-3, 6-4 to become the doubles champions of the 33rd edition of the Mexican Open Telcel presented by HSBC.

In the first set, Zverev and Melo scored breaks in the third and ninth games and defended their serve four times to win 6-3. 

In the second set, the German and Brazilian broke their opponents in the fourth and tenth games, and although Zverev and Melo’s serve was broken in the seventh game, it was not enough to prevent a 6-4 victory.  

It was the second doubles title for both players in Acapulco. Melo won the tournament in 2015 alongside Croatian Ivan Dodig, and Zverev lifted the title in 2019 alongside his brother Mischa Zverev.

It was Melo’s second title in consecutive weeks after winning in Rio de Janeiro last week alongside his compatriot Joao Fonseca, and the 42nd of his long doubles career.  

For Zverev, it was his first doubles title since 2019 alongside his brother and his third in doubles after his first in Montpellier in 2017.

“Winning a trophy is very special. This week was very good in doubles, very difficult in singles, but I’m very happy to win this with a friend (Marcelo Melo). It’s very special to play here. I think I played well in doubles,” said Zverev.

“The difference in winning this title is that we are friends, and for me it’s very special. When we enjoy ourselves, it’s a better feeling,” said Melo. 

• Visiting Acapulco for the Retreat 500, Lars Graff, co-director of the China Open, explains what these annual meetings consist of and his vision for the future of tennis

Acapulco, February 28, 2026.- As part of the 33rd edition of the Mexican Open Telcel presented by HSBC, the Retreat 500, which brings together executives from the 16 ATP tournaments once a year, concluded successfully.

Acapulco was the venue chosen for this important symposium, which seeks to strengthen relationships between tournaments and break down ideas to evolve the category. In 2025, ATP 500 expanded from 13 to 16 tournaments with the inclusion of Doha, Dallas, and Munich, which moved from ATP 250 to the next level of the circuit.

Lars Graff, co-director of the China Open and one of the visitors to Mexico for this meeting between executives, has been delighted with what Acapulco has to offer as the venue for a 500 tournament, as the organization knows how to balance fun and sport for attendees and players.

“The experience of being five minutes away from the venue is unique. In other tournaments, they have to be on site all day. Here, they come and go, they have the beach, the pool, it’s all a resort,” he adds, noting that what sells the most tickets is when there are local players. “They have a great week because it’s the week before Indian Wells and of course the players want to come, but the tournament would benefit from having more Mexican players who connect with the crowd. I’ve seen it in Beijing,” he added.

Formerly known as a chair umpire, the Swede took on a supervisory and business role a few years ago. After first explaining that the ATP is organized into four different categories: 1000, 500, 250, and challenger tournaments, he detailed what is discussed at the Retreat 500.

“We are trying to strengthen this group because the 1000s are already very strong, they are mandatory and have more money for a larger draw, so we always want to improve. We believe we have a very important role to play for the ATP. The Grand Slams are at the top of the pyramid, and the 1000s are played in interesting venues, but many 500s are played in the capitals of countries, such as Tokyo, Beijing, Queens in London, or Washington.

The 500s need a lot of attention, a lot of marketing, a lot of promotion, and that’s what we’re here to discuss. Prize money, rules, and how we can work together.”

How do you plan to win over new generations of tennis fans?

The best way to win over fans is how they do it here in Acapulco. Good food, good drinks, nice music, and they add entertainment. So people come to the tournament, but they don’t just come to watch a ball go back and forth; they come for an experience. Of course, it’s tennis, but it’s an experience. Each member of the family is a different market that buys different things. For the future, it’s important that every tennis tournament be an event. That leaves opportunities for fans. Many want to see only tennis, but others want to see just one set and then go to dinner or sightseeing.

How difficult is it to go from an ATP 500 to a Masters 1000?

It’s very, very difficult, even though we’ve added three new tournaments, but there are already 10 1000s, and they’ve added one for 2028 in Saudi Arabia. The only way to become a 1000 is if one of them wants to sell the license. Only the license can be moved, not the venue, like Madrid and Miami. To become a 1000, you can only buy one of the existing ones.

• He will face Italy’s Flavio Cobolli, fifth seed and world number 20, in the final
• This will be the eleventh final in Tiafoe’s career, in which he has won three titles, and he is seeking his fourth in Acapulco

Acapulco, February 27, 2026.- In the all-American duel in the second semifinal of the 33rd edition of the Mexican Open Telcel presented by HSBC, Frances Tiafoe, eighth seed, came out on top, defeating his compatriot Brandon Nakashima 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4.

It was a hard-fought victory for Tiafoe, ranked 28th in the world, who came back from a set down to seal his place in the final against Italy’s Flavio Cobolli, fifth seed and currently ranked 20th in the world.

“Big Foe” came into the match with five wins under his belt, now six, with just one defeat in his head-to-head matches against Nakashima, ranked 29th in the world.

In the first set, Nakashima took a 2-0 lead by defending his serve and breaking Tiafoe, but Tiafoe broke back and held his serve to make it 2-2. Nakashima then won three games in a row, two on his serve and one by breaking his opponent to make it 2-5. Tiafoe won his third game of the set, and Nakashima closed it out on his serve to take it 6-3.

In the second set, with no margin for error, Tiafoe sought a comeback, while Nakashima, in pursuit of victory, tried to stay focused on his game plan. 

Both reached 5-5 by defending their serve, and in the eleventh game, Nakashima made his move by breaking Tiafoe to take a 6-5 lead and seal the victory and a place in the final, but he was unable to close out the match, and Tiafoe tied it up at 6-6 to force a tiebreak, which he won 8-6.

In the third set, Tiafoe opened with a break, then both held serve until 4-2 and lost their serve to make it 5-3. Nakashima closed the gap to 5-4, but Tiafoe sealed the victory after two hours and 50 minutes of play.    

For Tiafoe, this will be the eleventh final of his career, with three titles, all in ATP 250 tournaments: Houston in 2023, Stuttgart in 2023, and Delray Beach in 2018.

It will also be his third final in an ATP 500 tournament after Tokyo 2022 and Vienna 2021. The other four finals were in ATP 250 tournaments in Houston in 2024 and 2025, Estoril in 2018 and 2022, and one in the Cincinnati Masters 1000 in 2024.

“Thank you all for your support. You really pushed me forward in the match with your support. I am grateful for your encouragement and I will try to give my best effort tomorrow in the final,” said the “Big Foe.” 

• The German and Brazilian pair defeated Mexico’s Pacheco and Spain’s Jódar, while the American Galloway and Austrian Erles eliminated the American Kirkov and his Dutch partner Stevens.
  

Acapulco, February 27, 2026.-  Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Brazil’s Marcelo Melo defeated Mexico’s Rodrigo Pacheco and Spain’s Rafael Jódar 6-3, 7-5 to qualify for the doubles final of the 33rd edition of the Mexican Open Telcel presented by HSBC.

Zverev and Melo, the world’s 26th-ranked pair, used their greater experience to defeat the younger Pacheco and Jódar, who were playing together for the first time, and closed out the match in one hour and 24 minutes of action.

The German and Brazilian dominated the match with seven aces to two for the Mexican and Spaniard, who also committed two double faults.

Although Pacheco and Jódar had the support of the crowd that filled the Grandstand, they were always respectful of Zverev and Melo.

“It was a great match and they played very well… The last two years have been difficult for Acapulco, but I have the best memories of Mexico here. It’s fun, I hope that even though I lost in the quarterfinals, I can come back next year and continue playing here. I’m happy to be in a final, even in doubles. We are friends and it’s good to be successful together,” said Alexander Zverev. 

In the other semifinal, American Robert Galloway and Austrian Alexander Erler defeated American Vasil Kirkov and Bart Stevens of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-4. Galloway and Erler are the world’s 13th-ranked pair. 

• With this result, the Florence-born tennis player will compete in his fourth final on the ATP tour, where he has won two titles and been runner-up once. 
  

Acapulco, February 27, 2026.- Italy’s Flavio Cobolli, ranked 20th in the world and fifth seed in the tournament, will play his first final at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC after defeating Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4 in a very even match. 

With this result, the Florence-born tennis player will play his fourth final on the ATP tour, his second on hard court, a surface where he has had good results, and this Saturday in Acapulco he will seek to maintain that winning streak.  

In the first set, Cobolli took a 5-4 lead, but the Serbian evened the match by taking advantage of the Italian’s unforced errors, which totaled 16 in the first set. However, Flavio closed strong from the back of the court to win the tiebreak and take the first set. 

The second set was very even until Kecmenovic broke Cobolli’s serve to take a 4-3 lead and, with that, he went on to win the set and force a third set. 

In the third set, the Italian held on despite being down 1-3, but he reacted and came back to win five consecutive games for a 6-3 victory. 

Cobolli demonstrated the power of his serve with 13 aces, compared to his opponent’s 7, but he made 36 unforced errors, compared to Kecmanovic’s 37, and took advantage of the speed of his forehand to win the match in two hours and 26 minutes. 

“I’m really happy, it was a tough match, but I played very well. There’s still one match left (this Saturday) and I’m going to give it my all to fight for the title. Thanks to the crowd who also supported me throughout the match,” said Cobolli.  

• Zverev, Monfils, and to close out the week of Mextenis Talks! in Acapulco, former Argentine tennis player Juan Martin del Potro couldn’t miss out on the in-depth discussion
  

Acapulco, February 27, 2026. “I’m still trying to figure out what I’m passionate about and what I like.” Four years after retiring from professional tennis, Juan Martin del Potro returned to Acapulco as ambassador for the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC and, of course, he couldn’t miss Mextenis Talks! to reveal everything about his life after high performance.

“What I find most difficult are the big finals against the Big Three. We spend our whole lives preparing for those moments. But I don’t miss training eight hours a day, I don’t miss watching what I eat, and I don’t miss traveling. That’s emotional and mental peace,” he revealed in the company of fellow former tennis player Nicolas Pereira and host Caro Guillén.

He recalled his journey, his Olympic silver medal in Rio 2016, the Davis Cup, his friends on the circuit and his rivals, shared his passion for Boca Juniors, but also confessed everything about the watershed moment that was his forced retirement: “After my tenth knee surgery, I knew I couldn’t go on. It was very painful to go through it day after day, but that opened up the opportunity to say goodbye with Djokovic in Argentina.”

“It’s not easy to put an end to a career of so many years, with many injuries and other beautiful things. It’s all part of the career. Suddenly you wake up and you no longer have to watch what you eat, there’s no coach, no physio. That process is hard, it takes a lot of adjustment. The life of a tennis player is very fortunate; we live in a bubble of wonderful things, and it ends overnight, and you have to find new motivations,” he added.

Regarding his impressions of Acapulco, on his return after eight years to the AMT, he says, “It’s one of the most beautiful tournaments on the circuit, one of the most enjoyable, and that’s why playing here was always a priority. Acapulco has to be a priority for all tennis players. These things, playing a few meters from the beach, night matches, parties, the players being able to be part of that, it’s wonderful.”

At the end, he answered questions from the audience. What did you say to yourself during difficult moments in matches? “Very good question,” he said to the boy. “When I was very nervous, I tried to remember that hard training and how well I had prepared myself to face that moment. It’s also good to fall back on the routine you always do before a point, get comfortable, the towel, whatever distracts you.”

Regarding his preference among today’s generation of tennis players, “the best right now is Carlitos Alcaraz, and apart from Nole, he’s the one I like the most.”

• Professional players faced amateurs in a fun new mini-tournament held as part of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC
• The duo formed by designer Patricio Campillo and French doubles player Fabien Reboul defeated actorDiego Klein and doubles player Neal Skupski in the grand final at the Arena GNP Seguros stadium

Acapulco, February 27, 2026.- Sixteen participants, two winners. It was an exhibition tournament, but the competition between the eight pairs in the first edition of the PROAM mini doubles tournament was of a high standard and, above all, great fun.

It was a clash of worlds, with laughter, jokes, and anecdotes, but where the connection between all the participants was the most striking. Despite being the favorite pair, Arturo Elias Ayub and Juan Martin del Potro fell in the semifinals, with the former tennis player putting the ball in the net on the last point.

“The PROAM was great for the first time this year. I hope they continue doing it so they can invite me back and make me feel a little bit like a tennis player again. The people of Mexico and Acapulco are very warm, it’s a pleasure to be here,” said the AMT 2026 ambassador after finishing his participation.

The winning duo, made up of designer Patricio Campillo and French doubles player Fabien Reboul, defeated actor Diego Klein and world No. 1 doubles player Neal Skupski in the grand final. It was the perfect rematch for Campillo, who usually plays two or three times a week against Klein. They train together, but “He usually beats me,” he says with a laugh.

“I didn’t expect it. As a lucky loser, I wasn’t going to play in the tournament, but they told me yesterday that I was in. Fabien is one of my favorite doubles players, and when I saw that I was going to play with him, I was excited,” Campillo said after the award ceremony, while Reboul added, “We were confident from the start, he did a great job, and playing in the stadium was a great experience”.

Doubles

Rodrigo Herrera/Roger Vasselin
Patricio Campillo/Fabien Reboul
Arturo Elias Ayub/Juan Martín Del Potro
Ines Saenz/Miguel Reyes-Varela
Diego Klein/Neal Skupski
Miguel Layun/Santiago Gonzalez
Alejandra Infante/Sadio Doumbia
Esteban Arce/Christian Harrison

This is how the first edition of PROAM took place

After the official draw ceremony, where participants not only found out who they would be pairing up with, but also learned the official matchups, the action took place on practice courts 1 and 2. The match format consisted of three super tiebreaks, i.e., sets to 10 points, with the pair that won two out of three advancing.

On one side of the bracket, Diego Klein and Neal Skupski starred in the most challenging quarterfinal matchup, facing former soccer player Miguel Layún paired with one of the best Mexican doubles players of all time, Santiago Gonzalez. The match was tied 1-1 after the first two sets (10-7, 10-6) and was ultimately decided in three super tiebreaks, with the doubles player and actor advancing to the semifinals.

“We lost 2-1. I wanted to beat them, but then with the world No. 1, well, they don’t cooperate,” Miguel Layún said jokingly after his defeat. “We had a great time. These experiences are wonderful. It’s great practice, and in the future, people will be able to enjoy seeing the tennis players more relaxed. Sport is still entertainment. It’s one more thing that the Mexican Open does well. I’m going to treasure this moment forever,” he concluded.

In the run-up to the final, Klein and Skupski faced the duo of Alejandra Infante and Sadio Doumbia, who had eliminated Esteban Arce and Christian Harrison. They advanced without any problems, winning 10-5, 10-7 to reach the grand final.

At the top of the draw, Patricio Campillo and Fabien Reboul defeated Rodrigo Herrera and Roger Vasselin in the quarterfinals, setting up a semifinal match against Arturo Elias Ayub, who teamed up with former world No. 3 Juan Martin del Potro in the most exciting semifinal match.

The Mexican businessman and the Argentine tennis legend had knocked out one of the two mixed doubles pairs in the mini-tournament, Inés Saenz and Mexican doubles player Miguel Reyes-Varela, in the first round. However, they did not have the same luck in the semifinals. They lost the first set 10-8 to designer Campillo and French doubles player Reboul and tied the second set 10-8, finally putting on a show in the third set, which ended 14-12 in favor of the Campillo/Reboul duo.

• The Mexican Open Telcel presented by HSBC invited the former Argentine tennis player, champion in 2018, as ambassador for the 33rd edition of the ATP 500
  

Acapulco, February 26, 2026.– Eight years later, Juan Martin del Potro is back in Acapulco. He remembers 2018 vividly, with the image of a mariachi hat, the Guaje de Plata trophy in his hands, and the affection of the Mexican fans who celebrated another Latin American champion in style. 

“It was special to win that tournament because I had to face Thiem, Zverev, Ferrer, Anderson, many Top 10 players, a very tough draw, and I was the winner. Mexico has always had very good people, a lot of respect, and here the treatment, the hospitality, is very nice, we feel comfortable coming here,” shares the former Argentine tennis player in his role as ambassador for the AMT 2026.

“I’ve been coming to Mexico since I was 14 or 15, so returning to this country is always special. This year, as ambassador, I don’t get to play, but it’s nice to be back here. I come to reconnect with everything. When you play, your time is limited and it’s difficult to connect with people, but now I can share with them and contribute my ideas too,” he adds.

In 2018, “delPo” won the last two titles of his career, out of a total of 22. First in Acapulco, and then he moved to California to win his only Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells. The harvest of this success led him to achieve the best ranking of his professional life as No. 3 in the world.

After being forced to retire due to injuries in 2022, the “Tower of Tandil” can now enjoy tennis from a different perspective. “Tennis encompasses all those points. It’s a high-level, physically demanding sport, with class and elegance, and tennis events also have a very nice social aspect. That means that people who go to a tennis event always leave very happy,” he said. 

The 37-year-old Argentine is not only impressed by Acapulco’s resilience—“I see a very nice change, a very good change for the better. I love that despite adversity, they are still standing and growing”—but also enjoys all the activities the destination has to offer outside of tennis, such as “enjoying the sunset with a beer, a glass of wine, and friends.”

In the end, it’s no secret that the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC offers unique ingredients for all its visitors, from fans to players. “Being next to the beach, playing a few meters from the sea, night matches, people with a festive and very cheerful atmosphere, that’s why I think it’s a special tournament on the circuit. Everything is very different, the essence, that’s what makes people keep it in a special place in their memories.”

Regarding the legendary AMT parties, which start every Thursday during tournament week, Juan Martin del Potro reveals, “Now that they don’t control me if I have a drink or not, it’s sure to be fun. The party was as good as that 2018 final, so I’ll stick with the Mexican Open parties as the activities I enjoy the most, and what happens there stays there,” he confesses with a laugh.