Dear fans, sponsors and the media:

I address you with great enthusiasm on the same day that the ATP Tour makes its long-awaited return and the players meet again on court.

A few months ago the world was paralyzed by a same threat. We all went through complex times, full of anxiety and uncertainty. However, the situation seems to have gradually begin to improve due to the great efforts and security measures that governments, companies and individuals have been taken.

Our goal in Mextenis is to carry out safely the XXVIII edition of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC.
The adversity we experienced in this past few months delayed several of our undergoing projects: it caused the suspension of the new Stadium construction and affected the negotiations with our partner Octagon, owner of the WTA franchise. We weren’t able to reach an agreement that would allow us to organize this year’s WTA event.

Despite all, we are excited to announce that we are working hard on getting tennis up and running again so that in February, we can all go back to Acapulco and enjoy the Tournament once again surrounded by friends and family, in what has been our home for the last 20 years.

Our commitment is to rise to the occasion by taking care of the safety of all attendees, players, and organizers.

We are closely working with the local Government and the ATP in order to act responsibly and comply with all health and safety protocols. We are aware that the current situation represents a big challenge due to all the uncertainty and the constant evolution of circumstances, for this reason, we will begin selling only 50% of the capacity of the Stadium. We will release the rest of the tickets depending on the progress of the pandemic and the authorities’ consent.

Tickets for the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC will be available on Monday, September 21st at 10:00 am. We will be offering payment plans and ticket delivery options such as Will Call and courier. To guarantee the safety of our clients and maintain proper distance, customers may purchase their tickets through our Call Center.
Our main box office will be open from 10:00am to 6:00pm and will comply with all hygiene protocols established by the authorities.

We appreciate your trust and loyalty. Be sure that we will work to guarantee that next year’s tournament is both unforgettable and safe for everyone.

Sincerely,
Raul Zurutuza
Director of the Mexican Open Telcel Presented by HSBC

Acapulco, Gro., February 29, 2020.- The title at the Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Telcel, presentado por HSBC, was for Nadal. The spaniard defeated Taylor Fritz 6-3 and 6-2 in just 1 hour and 13 minutes.

Nadal left his record in the tournament at 20-2. On his other 4 participations he either won the title (2005 and 2013) or lost against the player who became the eventual champion, first against Sam Querrey, 2017, and in the second round against Nick Kyrgios. The spaniard’s name will be remembered as the last champion at the Mextenis stadium. Rafa has the records of being the youngest champion in Acapulco (2005), and now the oldest, at 33 years old.

This is the first title of the season for the Spaniard and 85 in his career, he leaves his record in ATP finals at 85-37. With today’s match, he’s been winning at least one title a year for 17 consecutive years.

“Winning in Acapulco is always special because of the closeness to the tournament and the people. It’s an important title in an important moment, I didn’t start the year as good as I wanted, but I got better, I came into the tournament a little bit saturated because I didn’t get a lot of rest and this was a week to build my confidence. I leave with my objective cleared, I’m very happy, I want to enjoy this and get ready for Indian Wells”, said Nadal.

“This doesn’t mean it’s going to be a good year; it only gives me confidence and lets me be in a privileged position”, he added.

Three breaks in the match were enough to lead the victory of the number two in the world, who was facing Fritz (second american to reach a final in Acapulco; first one was Sam Querrey, in 2017) for the first time. Now, Taylor has 0-3 in the matches against top ten players. This was just the fifth final in his career (first in ATP 500); he has raised a trophy before (Eastbourne 2019).

Fifteen years after his first participation in Acapulco, Nadal comes back as the winner of 19 Grand Slams. With this confidence, his ruthlessness imposed himself on Fritz, based on a solid serve and good returns.

Nadal and Fritz reached the final with the same percentage of points won in the second serve (50%), but tonight was different. Rafael had 76% in this category, while Fritz went down to 35%, just winning 6 out of 17 points when playing with his second serve.

Fritz did better when it came to aces, with 10 and without double faults, by one ace from Nadal and two double faults. In the first set the american held his serve until the 8th game, when Nadal didn’t miss the opportunity to break and the lead.

Fritz tried to hold his serve but the break in the fifth game, and one more in the seventh, gave Nadal the championship.

Nadal wins the title without giving up a set and losing only 25 game on his way to the throne.

Acapulco, Gro., February 29, 2020.- The colombians were unable to take the trophy at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, presentado por HSBC, against the polish Lukasz Kubot and the brazilian Marcelo Melo. They defeated Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal (#1 couple on the tournament) at the men’s doubles final match at the Grand Stand Caliente.

Kubot and Melo, eighth seed and #8 in the world’s doubles ranking, won 7-6, 6-7 (4), and 11-9 in one of the toughest finals in the last few years at the tournament.

The first set ended with a tiebreak in the polish Kubot and Melo’s favor, but the colombians (#1 in the world’s doubling ranking) leveled up by winning the second tiebreak.

The title was decided on a super tiebreak, in which Farah and Cabal had a match point with the score 9-8, but Marcelo Melo made his two serves effective to place himself 10-9; the next point, Juan Sebastian Cabal was unable to hold his serve, letting the match escape, provoking sadness and frustration of their fans who supported them throughout the week.

It was Kubot and Melo’s revenge to defeat the colombians in their last match last year at the Masters 1000 in Rome. In eight encounters between these two couples, Farah and Cabal had succeeded in five occasions and lost 3 of them, but they still cannot win the title at Acapulco, where they dispute their first final.

It’s Melo and Kubot’s title number 14 as a team. For the polish, this was his fourth final at the AMT and his third title, since he won in 2010 with Oliver Marach, in 2013 with David Marrero, and in 2020 with Marcelo Melo; he lost a final with Marach in 2009. This was the brazilian’s third final in Acapulco, with titles in 2015 with Ivan Dodig and in 2020 with Kubot, also he lost a final back in 2011 with Bruno Soares.

The new Doubles champions at the Abierto Mexicano will add 500 points to their ranking ATP, and also share a prize of 119,750 dollars.

Acapulco, Gro., February 29, 2020.- Heather Watson will go down in history as the last singles champion in the Mextenis stadium at the Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Telcel, presentado por HSBC, who will have a new home next year. It was not an easy match, she had to defeat a very tough rival who played like an experienced player. This was the 17-year-old canadian’s first final at WTA, Leylah Fernandez complicated things for Watson, but Watson’s experience kept her afloat and won 6-4, 6-7 (8), and 6-1, after 2 hours and 46 minutes.

This is Heather’s fourth title (2016, Monterrey; 2015, Hobart; 2012, Osaka), it is her first singles title in Acapulco, since she is a former doubles champion alongside the german Tatjana Maria (2018).

Watson, seventh seed and 69-WTA, defeated the canadian for the third time (semifinals in Vancouver, 2019; second round in Quebec, 2018).

Heather, 10 years older than Leylah, assured her victory until her 10^th match point, because in front of her, there was a rival that ran for every ball and forced her to play 3 sets, so she could hang on to the title.

This is Fernandez’s first time in Acapulco, she got in through the qualy, she is the youngest player that has reached a final here, she is also the third teenager who reaches a WTA final in the season. The other ones are Dayana Yastremska (19), in Adelaida, and Leonie Kung, in Hua Hin.

The Canadian showed signs of nervousness, it was her first final, and she was unable to keep her first two serves (0-4). Then, she was able to recover one in the eighth, but Watson didn’t miss her chance to close the set in 43 minutes.

The second set foreshadowed something similar when Heather broke again during Fernandez’s serve, and then confirmed to gain a lead of 3-0.

In the second set, even though Watson broke Fernandez’s break, the canadian started to find her rhythm and leveled the match. After that, both players kept their serve until they reached the tiebreak.

Watson didn’t take advantage of five match points when the tiebreak was 6-2, Leylah won five straight points in order to win the set, in a great demonstration of grit. She never gave up, her determination made her win the set when Watson sent a returned of serve passed the baseline.

In the third set, Leylah was only able to win a game and Watson, finally, was able to raise her arms in triumph.

Acapulco, Gro., February 28, 2020.- the “colombian power” is present at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, presentado por HSBC. The number 1 couple, Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal won their pass to the doubles final.

In just their second tournament of the year, and after almost 3 months of not playing together, the “cafetaleros” defeated the french Adrian Mannarino and Fabrice Martin 6-4 and 6-2 in one hour and 16 minutes. They advanced to their first final in the season.

The world’s former doubles champions present themselves as a solid team who dominated last season by wining five tournaments, including Wimbledon and the US Open. So far in this season, they have 3 victories, regaining their high level of play.

Farah and Cabal (both 33 years old) have won together a total of 16 tournaments ATP in 33 finals played.

This coming Saturday in the final, the colombians will have a tough math against the couple (second seed) Lukasz Kubot, from Poland, and Marcelo Melo, from Brazil, who won in a very close match against the serbians Dusan Lajovic and Nikola Cacic. The score was 6-7 (6), 6-0, and 10-6.

Kubot is the 8-ATP player while Melo is 9-ATP. The brazilian has faced Farah and Cabal in Acapulco before (2015), accompanied by Ivan Dodig, who defeated them in the semifinals, before becoming the tournament’s champions.

In his career, Kubot has been a champion twice in Acapulco (2001, accompanied by Oliver Marach, and in 2013 with Oliver Marrero).

Melo has 33 doubles titles in his career, while Kubot has 25 crowns. Together, they have won 13 titles, so we got ourselves a great final ahead of us because of the quality of the four players.

He will face Taylor Fritz for the title

Acapulco, Gro., February 28, 2020.- Rafael Nadal will play his fourth final in the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, presentado por HSBC, after defeating in straight sets the bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinal.

The spaniard, number two in the world, had to come from behind on both sets to beat, for the 13th time in his career, Dimitrov, in what is was a match of former champions at Acapulco. Nadal won in 2005 and 2013, while Dimitrov won in 2014.

In the first set, after an early break of serve, Nadal was able to come back and break in two occasions, the second in the sixth game, in order to take the lead 4-2, in 47 minutes he closed the first set. In the second, Dimitrov tried to be more aggressive and was able to break Nadal’s serve to take the lead 2-0, but the only thing he achieved was a fierce reaction from Nadal to go on and win 6 straight games, including 3 breaks of serve. With this, he goes on to win the match in 1 hour and 43 minutes.

Even though Dimitrov had a better percentage with of first serves, the key moments of the match were for Nadal (who reached 19 victories in the AMT against only 2 losses). His rival in the final will be the american Taylor Fritz, whom he has never faced in an official match before.

“It wasn’t easy, he was one break up in the first and second set, the difference are just small details that changed everything, those details went in my favor, that is why the score looks one-sided but that is not the reflection of the match. For me, it’s been a good match, I started slow, but I got better as the match went on. It’s important to me to be here in a final at Acapulco after a while without competing.

“It’s a boost for my moral to get back to the final after losing quarterfinals in Australia, also I think I’m playing a good tennis level. I’m happy for that because I have won against a good friend, but also against one of the best players in the world. It’s been a tough day, I have lost a lot of liquids and I have to get ready for tomorrow for the final against Fritz, who is playing at a very high level”, said Nadal.

On his three prior finals in this tournament, the spaniard won two of them and lost one to the american Sam Querrey (2017). Nadal, 33 years old, will be pursuing title number 85 on his extraordinary career.

On the other hand, Dimitrov assured that the match was very close, but he didn’t get lucky enough to have the match to go his way.

“I had some chances, but sports are like this, I was unlucky in some occasions, but I’m thankful to have reached this part of the tournament. If I had done some things differently, the score could have been different. It was his night because he saved his break points.
“I feel good to face the rest of the season. The next tournament is Indian Wells, Miami, so I have to keep on working. Tonight I had a tough match, I have to accept it, reflect on it, and get back on the court”, said the 22 player in the world, who is one of the confirmed players to play the ATP 250 at Los Cabos in the upcoming month of July.

Acapulco, Gro., February 28, 2020.- The mexican Giuliana Olmos will have a new opportunity to win the doubles final at the Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Telcel, presentado por HSBC. About a year ago, Giuliana advanced to the final accompanied by the american Desirae Krawczyk, after beating the couple, formed by the american Caroline Dolehide and the australian Astra Sharma, 6-4 and 6-2.

In the final match, their rivals will be the ukranian Kateryna Bondarenko and the canadian Sharon Fichman (the couple eliminated the australian duo, Ellen Perez and Storm Sander, 6-3 and 6-4.

Olmos and Krawczyk, second favorites in the tournament, didn’t commit any double faults on their serves, while their rivals had a total of four; they won 25 out of 35 points with the first serve, and saved 4 out of 5 break points.

After 1 hour and 12 minutes, they won the match, and they will be in the semifinals again. Last year, they lost the final against Victoria Azarenka and Saisai Zheng. They are looking to win their second tournament of their career; they are former champions in the Nottingham tournament in 2019.

Bondarenko and Fichman won their match in 1 hour and 9 minutes. The ukranian has won 3 doubles tournaments in her career, including one Grand Slam, the Australian Open (2008), but she was not accompanied by Fichman, who has also won two tournaments, also with a different partner.

Acapulco, Gro., February 28, 2020.- A 17-year-old teenager ended the mexican Renata Zarazua’s dream. The canadian Leylah Fernandez is now a finalist at the Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Telcel, presentado por HSBC, who defeated the mexican 6-3 and 6-3.

Leylah is the first player from the qualy to reach a place in the finals at Acapulco. This will be her first final as a professional, but she is a former champion of Roland Garros (junior category).

Zarazua couldn’t maintain the winning momentum, however, her result remains historic in the last edition of the tournament in this complex. The mexican, who entered the tournament with a wild card and a 270 raking, will add 110 points for her result, jumping about 100 places approximately. Her best ranking was 186 in June 2018.

“I started a little nervous, I feel like she played very well, and I didn’t have time to adjust, But I’m very happy. Playing in a stadium with so many people watching is an experience that you don’t live every day, I’m very grateful. What I take home from this week is the confidence to know that I can take-on good players and beat them, I will remember this for the next tournaments”, Renata said.

The first set opened with an exchange of serve breaks, in the first four games.

In the fourth game, the mexican could not win a single point with her serve, and then in her next serve, the left-handed canadian got in deep shots and finally managed to keep hers, 3-2.

With a backhand, that almost went down the sideline, Renata got 30-40 in the eight game, saved the first break, but with two double faults she lost her serve again. This gave the canadian the opportunity to win the set.

The Canadian showed consistency, speed, power in her shots, and was aggressive coming to the net when she saw the opportunity. The pressure was not a problem for her, she remained focused, without losing any concentration, and always jumping on the tips of her feet so she wouldn’t lose her rhythm.

In the ninth game, Leylah survived two break points, and after 45 minutes, she won the first set.

In the second set, Zarazua was not on top of her game, and with some difficulty, she held her serve in the first game. However, in the third game, Leylah broke her serve, she did the same thing in the fifth game, where she was able to take an advantage that the mexican found impossible to come back, even though she recovered one of the breaks. The match ended with a double fault from Renata when Leylah had math point.

In spite of this, Zarazua got a standing ovation even though the miracle didn’t happen.

“I’m very happy about this, but I want to congratulate Renata on the match. Tomorrow’s match will be very difficult, but I’m ready to fight”, said Leylah.

Acapulco, Gro., February 28, 2020.- For the first time in history, two americans (John Isner and Taylor Fritz) faced each other at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, presentado por HSBC.

For the second time in four matches, Fritz took the victory and surpassed his best performance in Acapulco. Fritz (22 years old) defeated the giant (34 years old and 2.08 meters tall) 2-6, 7-5, and 6-2 in an hour and 41 minutes. Fritz won in two tiebreakers in the last duel they had, played back in Auckland 2019.

Isner dominated the beginning of the match, who got 2 breaks and 8 straight first serves, he won the first set in only 28 minutes. He kept his pace during the second set, Isner dictated the match with his powerful serve, and placed himself 4-2 against his rival’s bewilderment who was unable to find a way to counter back his powerful serve. In the 8th game of the second set, the tables turned when Fritz broke Isner’s serve to start his comeback.

At the beginning of the third, Fritz broke first with an early break, which John Isner was unable to recover from, and showed signs of discouragement.
The match ended and Fritz was ahead in the statistics, with 15 aces against 13 from his rival, and a 80% of points gained with his first serve. “It’s really tough when you loose your first and get a break, that could be it. I don’t know, I got really lucky today. I got the break in the second, to be able to come back and I still don’t really know how it happened”, said Fritz (35-ATP), who moves on for his second final in Mexico. Last year, he played in the match for a titule at the ATP 250 in Los Cabos, where he lost against the argentinian Diego Schwartzman.

“This is my second final in Mexico and I obviously like playing in Mexico and coming here. I really enjoy both tournaments, Cabo and here, I like playing late matches, in both tournaments, all matches start really late. I like how everything works in the tournaments here. Maybe that’s why I’m doing well”.

The bomber from North Carolina (20-ATP) once again is left out at the Abierto, he got eliminated in the semifinals in 2019 when he lost in the same round against the australian Nick Kyrgios, that left him out in three sets.

Acapulco, Gro., February 28, 2020.- Heather Watson achieved her goal. The british won her pass to the final at the Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Telcel, presentado por HSBC, after beating the chinese Xiyu Wang 6-4 and 7-6 (6).

This is Watson’s first final of the year, the first since Tianjin in October 2019. Heather has three titles in the circuit. The most recent one is in the Monterrey tournament (2016), and she also won in Hobart (2015) and Osaka (2012).

Heather knows what it’s like to be a champion in Acapulco, at least in the doubles tournament, she was the champion in 2018, alongside of the german Tatjana Maria.

Watson, seventh seed and 69-WTA, stopped the streak of the 18-year-old Asian girl (127-WTA), who came confident after reaching this round from the qualy and after defeating her countrywoman, Yafan Wang (last year’s favorite champion and second favorite in Acapulco), in the first round.

Heather, the only seeded who managed to stay focused, and the oldest of the four semifinalists (27 years old), took advantage of her second chance at match point in the tie break in order to win her place in the final.

Her best result in this season was the semifinals of the Hobart tournament; she fell in the second round at the Australian Open. She also played the Federation Cup, with Great Britain against Slovakia, in which she had a win and a loss.

The match this Friday was the first encounter between Watson and Wang. The chineses turned out to be a more complicated rival that Heather expected.

However, she was able to manage the rhythm of the game. In the first set, she took the lead, but in the second set she got a break in the first game. Wang recovered in the fourth and from there, both retained their serves to force a tiebreak, in which seven mini breaks occurred.