Acapulco will have 11 of the currently 30 best doubles players

A week before the start of the XXVIII edition of the Abierto Méxicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, there was an announcement withthe list of the couples that will form the main draw doubles in 2021.

In this list one can find 11 of the best 30 doubles players, as well as three pairs in the ATP Top 8.

The duo formed by Argentine Horacio Zeballos (4) and the Spaniard Marcel Granollers (13), will be thetop seeded couple. They come to Acapulco with their goal to continue with their victories just like they did back in 2020, where they won three titles played on clay (Rome, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires), and were semifinalists in the Nitto ATP finals.

Last year they played in the Abierto de Acapulco and were defeated in the round of 16 against the French Adrian Manarino y Fabrice Martin.

Bruno Soares, #6, and the British Jamie Murray, #18, return to Acapulco with the intention of winning their third trophy.

They won 2 titles in the Mexican tournament back in 2017 and 2018, the second of which they defeated the Bryan brothers in a grand finale remembered by many. This couple is 4th in the Nitto Finals race to celebrate in Turin at the end of 2021.

Meanwhile, the duo formed by the British Joe Salisbury and the American Rajeev Ram, third in the Nitto Final’s race, visit Acapulco for the first time. They are seeking to reaffirm the great tennis level that led them to their second Australian Open Final in a row, where this year they were defeated by the Slovakian Polãšek and the Croatian Dodig, therefore, they were unable to revalidate their Champions’ title of 2020.

Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Pierre Hugues Herbert, who were crowned masters in 2019, will also be at this edition of the Mexican ATP 500. Both are making their first appearance as a couple in this tournament and they come to Acapulco with the trophies of the four Grand Slams (US Open 2015, Wimbledon 2016, Roland Garros 2018, and the Australian Open in 2019). The Mexican flag will be in the main draw, with the best player of the moment, Santiago González who will compete next to the Brazilian Marcelo Demoliner. The Spaniards Feliciano López and Marc López will also be part of the main draw.

The Zverev brothers, champions in 2019, will look for a place in the main draw in the qualifications round.

Mischa Zverev, Alejandro Hernández, Thanasi Kokkinakis y Petros Tsitsipas present in the qualifications round

This Saturday, March 13th, begins the qualifications round of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, where several players will seek one of the places that gives access to the tournament’s main draw and try to emulate what Cerundolo achieved two weeks ago in Córdoba (Argentina).

Old acquaintance of the Mexican fans, such as the Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, returns to the tournament after his last participation in 2018, or like the German Mischa Zverev, who is looking to obtain his pass to the tournament’s main draw in his 5th consecutive participation.

The Mexican public will also be able to see the Greek Petro Tsitsipás, Stefanos’s brother, who, with only 20 years old, will look for the way to play in the main draw of the ATP 500 for the first time in his career.

The Mexicans will not be absent in this round. Young Juan Alejandro Hernández, 21 years old, will play in the qualifications round, just like Luis Patiño.

The Americans Brando Nakashima or Emilio Nava will also be present in the qualifying round.

Gerardo López Villaseñor, who was the hero of the World Group II eliminations round against Bulgaria in the Davis Cup, received a wild card to participate in Acapulco’s main draw for the third year in a row.

Puerto Vallarta’s player, 25 years old, managed to beat the local Dimitar Kuzmanov in a match that lasted more than three hours and drove them to exhaustion in order to place the final 1-3 after overcoming two tie-breaks.

After Mexico’s victory in Bulgaria, the Mexican team will have to continue fighting for a spot in the World Group I for 2022.

Stefanos Tsitsipás climbs to 5th place in the ATP ranking

The Greek Stefanos Tsitipás,first seed of this tournament’s edition, managed to reach 5th place in the ATP, after making it to the semifinals in the ABN AMOR World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam last week.

With this new ranking, the winner of the Next Gen ATP Finals of 2018, manages to equalize his best position on the ranking (August 2019).

Meanwhile the Swiss Roger Federer, who returns to play in Dubai after recovering from an injury, was backed down to #6 in the ranking.

This is the only change registered in the ranking of the Top 20 in the world. The Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, who will be in Acapulco, rose to 38th place, this being his best ranking after falling in semifinals in the Argentine Open, in Buenos Aires, against the local Diego Schwartzman.

The Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo rose 25 places to rank #112 in the world after reaching the tournament’s final in Buenos Aires, where he could not emulate his brother Juan Manuel, losing against his countryman Diego Schwartzman, who won his fourth professional title and will be present at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

AMT Safety, the protocol that takes care of us all

Our goal is to take care of each other and enjoy the XXVIII edition of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, therefore, we created the AMT Safety program, which is focused on preventing contagion and to protect us.

This program was created alongside the State of Guerrero’s authorities and its compliance is mandatory in order to enjoy the experience of the tournament.

Below, you will find everything you need to know about this program.

1. Before entering the tournament facilities, you must have and present a negative result of an Antigen test valid no longer than 72 hours. This test must be endorsed by COFEPRIS.
2. Temperature check-up and antibacterial gel will be provided before giving access to anyone with their tickets.
3. Mandatory use of face masks at all times.
4. Keep a healthy distance.
5. Throughout the tournament you will find antibacterial gel dispensers so anyone can disinfect their hands frequently.
6. In the food area, remember to avoid crowds without exceeding the number allowed per table and to wash your hands.
7. Respect and follow all indications given by the tournament staff as well as all signs placed on the premises.

By following the AMT Safety protocol: you take care of yourself, we all take care of ourselves. For more information, please visit: https://abiertomexicanodetenis.com/amt-safety/

• Guerrero’s local authorities confirm the public presence in the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.
• All tournament attendees must present a negative COVID-19 antigen test
• The ticket sales for the Tournament continues

Mexico, March 2^nd, 2021.- After the announcement that Acapulco changed to a code yellow for COVID, Guerrero’s State Governor, Héctor Astudillo Flores, held a meeting yesterday with the Director of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, Raúl Zurutuza, where he confirmed the presence of public in the Tournament and allowed to continue with ticket sales to offer the Mexican public the possibility of enjoying the most important tennis event in Latin America.

Following the guidelines established by the local authorities to respect and maintain the current code achieved by the State and the people of Guerrero, all fans attending the Tournament must have a negative COVID-19 antigen test done in a laboratory, hospital or pharmacy. This test should not be more than 72 hours old. If this requirement is not met, the fans will not be allowed to enter the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.      

“It is everyone’s responsibility, organizers, players, sponsors, and fans, to take care of each other and be an example of respect to all health standards established by the authorities,” said the Tournament director.

Due to the sanitary contingency caused by COVID-19, the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC created a security program which will make sure all planning, procedures and execution of all safety measures and protocol are followed in order to guarantee and safeguard the health for all fans, staff, and players within the tournament.

Tickets for the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC are still on sale and can be purchased directly at the Mextenis box office, located in Arcos Bosques, or through the ticketmaster.com.mx platform.

BOX OFFICE PHONE NUMBERS

From Mexico: 55 2167 3232, 55 2167 3055 ó 800 890 8906

From outside the country: + 52 55 2167 3232 ó + 52 55 2167 3055

For more information, please visit our website at www.abiertomexicanodetenis.com

World’s number one, Novak Djokovic, retained his crown as the Australian Open champion after defeating Danil Medvedev 7-5, 6-2 and 6-2.

The Serbian needed just one hour and fifty-three minutes to achieve his ninth title in Melbourne Park, this reaffirms his dominance in this tournament by being the greatest winner in history.

With this triumph, he achieved his eighteenth Grand Slam and he is just one step behind Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, whom, with 20, are the top major winners of all time.

In order to reach the final and beat Medvedev (ATP #3), Djokovic had to defeat three players who will be present in the XXVIII Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

In the second round, he needed four sets to get rid of the American Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-7(3), 7-6(2) and 6-3. He won against the Canadian Milos Raonic in the round of 16, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-1 and 6-4. In the quarterfinal he played against the German Alexander Zverev, second seed of the Abierto Mexicano. This was a match in which there was moments of real tension, where Nole closed the match by winning the fourth set tie-breaker against ATP #3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-4, and 7-6(6).

Medvedev, who is going through a great moment and reached the final with 20 consecutive victories, defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas by 6-4, 6-2, 7-5.

The Greek and first seed of this edition of the Acapulco’s Port tournament, starred in perhaps the best match of the tournament with a two-set comeback disadvantage against Rafael Nadal, number 2 in the world and current champion of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

In the women’s side, the Japanese Naomi Osaka won for the second time the Australian Grand Slam by defeating the American Jennifer Brady in the final by 6-4, 6-3. The 23-year-old player, WTA #3, maintains her perfect pace in Grand Slams, winning all four that she has competed throughout her career.

The Mexican Guiliana Olmos reached the quarterfinals in the doubles category with the Canadian Sharon Fichman, where they lost against the two finalists: the Czech Krejcikova and Siniakova.

Cordoba, Singapur and Montpellier, this week’s events

This week there will be three ATP 250 tournaments around the world, 9 of the players that will be present in Acapulco will play some of them.

Six players that will be present in the next edition of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC will be playing in the Cordoba Open in Argentina. The locals, Diego Schwartzman and Guido Pella together with the French Benoit Paire and the Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, will be the four top ranked players.

The four of them will play in the second round of this tournament. Schwartzman will face the winner of the clash between Hugo Dellien vs. Marco Cecchinato. Pella will face the winner of Elahi Galan and Kovalik. Miomir Kecmanovic expects a rival that will come from the match between a qualifier and the Brazilian Seyboth Wild. Paire will have to play against the local Nico Jarry or the Spaniard Jaume Munar.

The Serbian Laslo Djere and the Spaniard Pablo Andujar will be competing in this tournament as well.

In the Singapore Tennis Open, the French Adrian Mannarino and the Croatian Marin Cilic (both are the top ranked players of this tournament) will playand will also make their debut in the second round.

The Frenchman will start his participation against the winner between the Latvian Ernests Gulbis and the italian Roberto Marco. Cilic will wait for his rival between the Japanese Taro Daniel and the Hindu Ramkumar Ramanathan. Mannarino and Cilic would only face each other in a hypothetical final.

In the last ATP 250 which will be played this week in Montpellier (France), the American Sebastian Korda, who received one of the wildcards from the tournament, will be playing and looking for his second-round pass against local Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, who was ATP number 5 in 2012.

The other wildcard awarded by the organization, the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, was defeated in the qualification round against the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.

Danil Medvedev became ATP Top 3 after his final in the Australian Open

The Russian Danil Medvedev became ATP Top 3 tennis player thanks to the 1020 points obtained by reaching the Australian Open’s final, replacing the Austrian Dominic Thiem. This being his best professional ranking.

The Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov and the Norwegian Casper Rudd respectivelymoved up four places to 17^th and 24^th. This new ranking is the best in Rudd’s career.

Russia’s Aslan Karatev registered the highest increase in this week’s ranking in the ATP, who after losing against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open’s semifinals, moved up 72 places in order to rank as number 42, surpassing his best professional ranking in which he was 111. Other top climbers this week in the ATP ranking were starred by old acquaintances of the Mexican fans. Feliciano López, who moved up eight places to be 57^th in the world, the Romanian Radu Albot who went from 85 to now 76 after reaching the third round in the Australian Open where he defeated the Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round. South Korea’s Soonwoo Kwon moved up 16 places in the ranking and he is now ATP 81.

• The Greek Stefanos Tsisipas, number 6 in the world, will make his debut.
• Germany’s Alexander Zverev (ranked number 7) and Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman (number 9) will playfor the fourth time in Acapulco.
• American tennis’s great promise, Sebatian Korda, will get a wildcard for the main singles draw.

Mexico City.- The Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC announces the list of all players that will participate in the Tournament’s XXVIII edition, in which 3 ATP’s Top Ten players stand out.

The 22-year-old Greek, Stefanos Tsitsipas, current number 6 in the ATP ranking and ATP Finals champion in 2019; together with the 23-year-old German Alexander Zverev, number 7 in the world and thirteen-time ATP Tour champion, will be the AMT 2021 top ranked player.

“For us, as a tournament, we are proud to announce the presence of two of the last three ATP masters, we thank Alexander and Stefanos for their decision to come play in Mexico in this edition and we are sure the Mexican public will enjoy their presence”, said Raúl Zurutuza, Director of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

This will be the fourth time that Zverev participates in Acapulco’s ATP 500, looking to repeat 2019’s final where he lost against the Australian Nick Kyrgios. On another note, Tsitsipas, semifinalist at Roland Garros, will appear in front of the Mexican fans for the first time.

The best ranked of Latin tennis today, Diego Schwartzman (9), is the third Top Ten player present in this edition. The 28-year-old Argentine climbed to the tennis elite thanks to his performances in Rome and Roland Garros, where he respectively made the final and semifinal. The “Peque” who already knows what winning in Mexican lands means (Los Cabos 2019), will pursue the championship in this, his fourth participation in the AMT.

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.