Daniil Medvedev began his pursuit of the No. 1 ATP Ranking on Tuesday when he defeated Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-4 at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC. If the Russian wins the ATP 500, he is guaranteed to pass Novak Djokovic for the top spot on Monday regardless of the Serbian’s performance this week in Dubai.

In his first match since a heartbreaking defeat to Rafael Nadal from two sets up in the Australian Open final, Medvedev overcame a tricky foe in Paire. The top seed rallied from a break down in the second set to triumph after one hour and 42 minutes.

“It’s always not easy to come back after some rest and some time off competition,” Medvedev said. “Sometimes [it is] better, sometimes [it is] worse. I felt like my sensations were not at the top today, but I managed to fight until the end against a very tough opponent and I’m happy that I managed to win.”

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The World No. 2 now leads Paire 3-0 in their ATP Head2Head series after a performance in which he earned four service breaks and converted three of the four break points he faced. Medvedev will next play Spanish veteran Pablo Andujar or Mexican wild card Alex Hernandez, a 22-year-old ranked World No. 566. The 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champion said the chase for No. 1 is not at the top of his mind.

“If Novak would not be playing, then maybe it would be a little bit more in my mind because it would only be me that it depends what I can do,” Medvedev said.

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The 26-year-old Medvedev was not flawless in his performance against Paire, but he was more consistent, which proved critical. The World No. 49’s unpredictable play also contributed to that as the Frenchman surged in the second set between frequent net rushes and powerful backhands. His flurry would have troubled any player on Tour. 

Medvedev showed frustration after he fell behind 2-4 in the second set. But once he got back on serve, Paire’s level significantly dropped and the tournament debutant broke at love to close out the match.

In other action, fifth seed Matteo Berrettini won the first set against American Tommy Paul 6-4. But after Paul took a 5-1 lead in the second set, Berrettini retired. The World No. 39 Paul will next face Serbian Dusan Lajovic. 

Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka also advanced with a 2-6, 6-0, 6-4 victory against Spanish wild card Feliciano Lopez. Nishioka will next challenge 2020 Acapulco finalist Taylor Fritz.

Did You Know?
Medvedev is pursuing his first title of the year this week. The 13-time tour-level champion has claimed multiple trophies in each of the past four seasons.

Defeating Sebastian Baez in Chile has quickly become a difficult task. The Argentine proved it Tuesday at the Chile Dove Men+Care Open.

The 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals competitor defeated Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 34 minutes to reach the second round. Baez is now 23-2 at all levels in Chile since the start of last season.

“It was a tough match because we know each other a lot. The past year we’ve played six times,” Baez said. “It was a good day. With my coach we had a plan and today I was able to do everything. I’m happy for that and just focussing on the next step.”

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This was the first ATP Head2Head meeting between Baez and Varillas. But last year, they clashed four times at ATP Challenger Tour events — including twice in Santiago — and once in qualifying at the ATP 500 event in Hamburg. Overall, Baez has now won five of their seven professional meetings.

The Argentine saved two of the three break points he faced and converted three of his six opportunities to set a clash against countryman Juan Ignacio Londero.

“I think it’s confidence. It was a difficult first set and after that I focussed more on the game, knowing my hits on my forehand, my backhand and my serve felt good,” Baez said. “I tried to feel better every point and I think today I was able to do that, so I’m happy.”

Sixth seed Miomir Kecmanovic also advanced with a 7-5, 6-1 victory against Italian Marco Cecchinato. The Serbian dominated his second-serve return points against the 2018 Roland Garros semi-finalist, winning 67 per cent of them. Up next for Kecmanovic will be 18-year-old Holger Rune or Brazilian qualifier Matheus Pucinelli De Almeida.

Two Spaniards, Jaume Munar and Carlos Taberner, moved on. Munar ousted Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan 6-1, 6-3 and Taberner eliminated Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-2, 7-5.

Bolivian Hugo Dellien disappointed the home crowd when he defeated Chilean qualifier Gonzalo Lama 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 17 minutes.

What would it take for you to stand up Rafael Nadal on the practice court?

Stefan Kozlov found out Monday when he discovered an urgent Whatsapp message alerting him to his last-minute inclusion into the Acapulco main draw as a lucky loser. But cutting short his session with Rafa was only part of the story, one of the most remarkable match-day tales that culminated in a victory over former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov.

The 24-yer-old was playing a set on Monday with Nadal on the farthest practice court from the new Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC complex. Having lost in the final round of qualifying, and with little chance of making it into the main draw as a lucky loser, Kozlov was perfectly happy to help the Spaniard prepare for his match the next day against Denis Kudla. However, he was about to find out that it was Rafa who was helping him get ready.

When Nadal was serving at 3-3, 0/15 in the practice set, the Spaniard broke a string. While the Spaniard was looking for a new racquet in his bag, Kozlov took the opportunity to check his phone. Much to his astonishment, his phone was brimming with WhatsApp messages telling him that he had to be on court in the next match in the stadium instead of Maxime Cressy, a last-minute withdrawal from the Acapulco ATP 500.

Pre-match prep doesn’t get much crazier 🤪@stefankozlov had to cut short his practice with Rafa on being called up for his first round Lucky Loser spot @AbiertoTelcel! pic.twitter.com/or1PFTThF3

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 22, 2022

How could he do that? He didn’t even have the right outfit to play in. “All of my clothes were wet because they were at the laundry,” Kozlov told ATPTour.com. Additionally, he would have to abandon his practice with the man with more majors than any other. “He jokingly told me ‘You can’t go, we have to finish the set.’ I quipped back: ‘No Rafa, I have to go, but I’ll put this down as a win because I was one point ahead’.”

Kozlov’s smile disappeared as soon as he had said goodbye to Rafa. He was overcome with worry. “I went as quickly as I could to prepare as well as possible. And I had to borrow clothes from the tournament staff, as many clothes as I could get my hands on to be able to play because I didn’t have anything that was dry,” explained Kozlov.

Together with his coach Chris Wettengel and his physio Andy Hanley, he managed to reach the new tournament venue on time, after a five-minute car journey from his hotel. However, there was still one concern: Would he be fit enough to withstand an opponent like Grigor Dimitrov after an entire day enjoying the Pacific ocean as a tourist?

“I wasn’t expecting to play, at all. Two guys had already dropped out of the tournament, I didn’t think there would be a third lucky loser. That’s why I was on the beach all day. Also, I had a slight problem with a jet ski. I capsized it and crashed into some rocks. So I was stranded out there for 30 minutes, just swimming to get away from the rocks,” recounted the No. 130 in the ATP Rankings. After being rescued [by the jet ski manager], I was expecting an intense practice session with Rafa at 6 o’clock.”

The adrenaline from the day seemed to dissipate when he faced Dimitrov. But, deep into the match, his body reminded him when he started to cramp on the verge of victory at 7-6(8), 5-3. Just after winning a point and breaking to give himself the chance to serve for the biggest win of his career, he fell to the ground in pain.

He struggled on as best as he could, but the second set slipped from his grasp. It looked like victory would, too. Limping as he went, he saved six break points in the first game of the third set, and the cramps slowly resided. The full support of the Mexican fans, excited by the American’s gargantuan efforts, was enough to help him rediscover the path that would take him to a win he would eventually claim after three hours and 21 minutes of play, the longest match in tournament history.

It would be another three hours until he made his way into bed. After eating and an near 2-hour physio session, Kozlov left the tournament venue at 4 a.m., just after Alexander Zverev won the second set against Jenson Brooksby in the same stadium where he produced the biggest win of his career just a few hours earlier.

“It was a long, crazy day!” Kozlov said, still excited about his achievement. “I really had to fight for it, but I’m happy to have had the spirit to fight and to have played my best tennis until the end.” His reward? A potential second-round clash against his sparring partner from last night: Nadal!

“It would be amazing, it would be a great honour for me. I think he’s a fantastic person, and I have great respect for him. I’ll really enjoy it, definitely,” added Kozlov. He has practised numerous times with the 36-time ATP Masters 1000 champion, but he has never faced him on the ATP Tour. Competing against one of his idols will be another reward for the heart he has shown in Mexico.

“Yesterday, I thought I had no chance of playing; now I’m in the best tournament of my career and close to facing Rafa Nadal. Sometimes God works in mysterious ways.” One thing is certain; until his next match, there will be no more beach days for Stefan Kozlov in Acapulco.

Six months ago, when his return to the ATP Tour was far from certain, Rafael Nadal had very modest expectations for the early part of 2022. He has certainly over delivered!

The Spaniard began the year with consecutive titles, including a record-setting 21st major at the Australian Open, and now has the chance to complete his best start to a season at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco.

“The start of the year has been infinitely better than I could ever have imagined,” said Nadal at his pre-tournament press-conference. “Winning in Australia was deeply satisfying. Not so much because of reaching 21 Grand Slams, but because it came at a very difficult time for me.” The World No. 5 played his first ATP match in five months in early January.

Nadal holds a 10-0 record in 2022 after also winning the Melbourne Summer Set. In Acapulco he will have the chance to notch up 12 wins from his first 12 matches of the year, something he has never done before. His current personal best came in 2014, when he won his first 11 clashes.

Nadal’s Fastest Season Starts

The 90-time ATP champion has plenty of motivation to keep bettering himself, even at 35 years of age. “Feeling competitive in Australia and seeing that my foot held up, even playing five hours in one day, [it] drives me to keep playing and it gives me the energy to carry on,” said Nadal. “When I was 23, I thought I wouldn’t be playing at 29. When I was 29, I thought at 33 I wouldn’t be where I was. But for now, I’m still here, and that’s really wonderful.”

Acapulco will be his first tournament as the man with the most majors in history. It looked like an unreachable target when he fell 10 Slams behind Roger Federer after the 2010 Australian Open. His new status has reignited the debate on who will eventually be considered the best of the Big Three, the trio that also includes Novak Djokovic.

Nadal touched on the subject at his press conference. “I think at the end of the day it’s a question of opinion. There are various arguments that could give that moniker to any of us, and all those arguments are valid. It depends where you look. The reality is that all three of us have done much more than we could have dreamed. And from there, let the experts talk about it and we’ll focus on playing.”

Nadal still has his feet firmly on the ground. So much so that he’s aware of how difficult it will be to go deep at the Mexican ATP 500 event, which he won for the first time since it became a hard-court event in 2020 (d. Fritz). “I’ve got a really tough draw,” said Nadal, who could face Matteo Berrettini in the quarter-finals and his Australian Open final opponent Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals.

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“At the moment, I’m not thinking about those things,” said Nadal. “I’m simply happy to play tennis. I’m really excited to do so after playing so few tournaments recently. That’s why I’ve come here, and because I’m excited to still be competing, not just about results.” His first challenge will come against lucky loser Denis Kudla, following the withdrawal of Dallas Open champion Reilly Opelka.

The match will take place on Tuesday night on the new centre court in Acapulco, which has a capacity of over 10,000. Just being able to compete again after his superhuman effort in Melbourne is reward enough for Nadal. “My only expectation this week is to be able to play,” he said.

Did You Know?
Nadal has won 50 matches at Latin American events in his ATP Tour career. Of those tournaments, he has his best record in Acapulco (20-2).

It is not every day the stars of the ATP Tour get to play tennis at the highest point on a continent, but that is what Denmark’s Holger Rune and Chilean Alejandro Tabilo did Monday evening in Santiago.

Rune and Tabilo, who are competing in this week’s Chile Dove Men+Care Open, visited the Sky Costanera, an observatory 300 metres in the air that marks the highest structure in South America. The pair played mini tennis while taking in the stunning view.

“I was here before, with my family, just to sight-see a little bit. Never thought I’d be playing a little bit of mini tennis here, so that’s always nice,” Tabilo said. “It shows a little bit of how beautiful Chile is. I don’t think many tournaments have the opportunity to do this, so I’m pretty grateful and it’s incredible for the tournament to organise this.”

The home crowd will fully support Tabilo, who begins his tournament Tuesday evening against Argentine qualifier Renzo Olivo. Tabilo, who owns a 2-2 record in Santiago, is playing the best tennis of his career. The lefty made his first ATP Tour final earlier this month in Cordoba.

“It’s pretty exciting. It’s been a lot of new experiences for me. Cordoba was a crazy ride. We didn’t expect it at all. It changes a little bit our perspective of what we can do, and coming in now to Santiago with this much confidence is always nice,” Tabilo said. “Hopefully I can play some solid tennis, get through that first round, and hopefully all the Chilean fans will support.”

Rune, who competed in last year’s Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, is also excited to be in Chile. One year ago, he made history in Santiago where as a 17-year-old qualifier he became the youngest ATP Tour quarter-finalist since Borna Coric in Umag in 2014.

“It’s a wonderful tournament and this year with the crowd it’s even better, so I just told myself and told my mum I want to go,” Rune said. “I’m so happy to be here and so excited to start tomorrow.”

The Danish star was outside the Top 400 in the ATP Rankings when he broke through in Santiago last year. Now at a career-high World No. 88, Rune is keen to continuing his ascent beginning with his first-round match against Brazilian qualifier Matheus Pucinelli De Almeida.

“I think it’s a wonderful city. Obviously, I haven’t explored so much yet, but now we are here with this amazing point of view, with this amazing mini tennis court. It’s just great for me, because when we play tournaments usually, we don’t get to visit so much,” Rune said. “I’m feeling great, I had one practice, I know the conditions and I’m just really excited to see how I can do this week.”

Jannik Sinner came back from the brink at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday.

The fourth seed saved three match points in a nail-biting second-set tie-break to defeat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 in the first round of the ATP 500 event.

Despite struggling for rhythm for much of the match, the World No. 10 upped his level late on to surge to victory in his first ATP Head2Head meeting with the Spanish World No. 43.

After a tight start Davidovich Fokina broke through late in the first set, converting the first break point of the match for 5-4 and then taking the set after Sinner sent a forehand long.

The match hinged on the second set tie-break. A previously under-par Sinner left it to the last possible moment to come out firing, reeling off five points in a row to recover from 6/3 down and force a third set.

The momentum shift was complete as the Italian kicked on in the decider. He secured a break for 4-2 before serving out for victory, letting out a roar of approval after converting his second match point. Sinner’s comeback was powered by consistent serving, the five-time ATP Tour titlist ending the match having won 78 per cent (46/59) of points behind his first delivery.

Sinner, who made the quarter-finals in Dubai in 2021, now plays former World No. 1 Andy Murray in the second round. Murray won their only previous meeting in straight sets in Stockholm in November.

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Defending champion Aslan Karatsev earlier suffered a shock first-round exit at the hands of American Mackenzie McDonald.

The Russian won the pair’s first meeting in the second round of January’s Australian Open, but the World No. 61 showed no fear in Dubai as he broke Karatsev four times on the way to a 7-5, 6-3 victory. McDonald now faces Filip Krajinovic in the second round after the Serbian completed a 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4 comeback win over Malek Jaziri.

Alexander Zverev and Jenson Brooksby capped a remarkable first day of action at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC with a three-hour, 18-minute epic played out in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Defending champion Zverev was made to dig deep to save two match points in the second-set tie-break before clinching a 3-6, 7-6(10), 6-2 victory in one of the most exciting matches of 2022 so far.

The finish time of 4:55am marks the latest ever finish to an ATP tennis match, eclipsing Lleyton Hewitt’s 2008 Australian Open clash with Marcos Baghdatis, which ended at 4:34am local time.

“Right now I’m happy that I won,” said Zverev after his comeback win. “I don’t know how Jenson feels, but it must be difficult. I’m happy to be a part of history. It was an incredible battle, I think it was an incredible match, and hopefully [there are] many more to come from me this week.

“Today I didn’t play my best, there’s no doubt about it, but I didn’t give up. I knew that I want to do well [in Acapulco], I’m the defending champion and I want to give myself the best chance to win. I did well to survive today.”

Following similarly marathon wins for John Isner and Stefan Kozlov on centre court, Zverev and Brooksby came onto court at around 1:30am local time. The late start didn’t stop them putting on a show, however, with both players producing a top-class level to make it a trio of absorbing encounters on day one for an enraptured crowd.

3am in the morning and you’re playing rallies like this 😨@JensonBrooksby & @AlexZverev are just superhuman!#AMT2022 pic.twitter.com/jLWqmmUFmu

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 22, 2022

Brooksby had pushed Zverev to three sets in the pair’s only previous meeting at the 2021 BNP Paribas Open and he had the World No. 3 under pressure again early, breaking the German to love for 5-3 and converting his first set point to lead.

A marathon one-hour, 51-minute second set, packed with absorbing rallies, saw no breaks before Zverev pulled through in the tie-break to level the match.

The second seed maintained that momentum into the decider, breaking Brooksby for first time in the match for a 2-1 lead and then again to seal the win and extend his match record in Acapulco to 13-3.

Zverev’s serve was crucial in helping him defy Brooksby, the German firing nine aces overall and winning 77 per cent (55/71) of points on first serve.

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“Acapulco is always special to me,” said Zverev. “The crowd is always special. It’s always super loud here, the energy is unbelievable. At 5am the stadium is still quite full. There’s nowhere else in the world where the people appreciate tennis the way they do here.”

Zverev’s next assignment in Mexico will be a second-round meeting with Peter Gojowczyk, after the World No. 95 defeated Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 6-4.

Also on Monday, eighth seed Pablo Carreno Busta defeated qualifier Oscar Otte 6-2, 6-4 on his Acapulco debut. The World No. 17 saved three break points and converted three of his own to overcome the German and set a second-round clash with John Millman or Marcos Giron.

Stefan Kozlov was enjoying an evening practice with 21-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal when the call came in Acapulco.

A few hours later the World No. 130 was celebrating overcoming severe second-set cramps on his way to winning the longest match in Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC history after downing 2014 champion Grigor Dimitrov 7-6(8), 5-7, 6-3 on Monday night.

Kozlov had narrowly fallen to Oscar Otte in the final round of qualifying on Sunday, but he took full advantage of Maxime Cressy’s late withdrawal in Mexico to stun the World No. 33 Dimitrov in a three-hour, 21-minute marathon.

“I just fought really hard and stayed focused at the end there,” said Kozlov after his win. “Obviously, I had a chance to win in two sets and cramped up fully, and I had to give away a couple of games, but thankfully I had a fighting spirit today and I just relied on it. I happened to play my best tennis towards the end.”

Absolutely crazy scenes in Acapulco, and @GrigorDimitrov never forgets how to be a great sport.

AMAZING – and we hope Stefan Kozlov is okay. 👏#AMT2022 pic.twitter.com/ZFtoF2lllA

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 22, 2022

Kozlov saved two set points in an epic first-set tie-break, clinching it 10/8, before the drama increased a notch further in one of the most extraordinary sets of 2022 so far.

The American tried to celebrate upon breaking Dimitrov for 5-3 but immediately cramped in both legs, Dimitrov sportingly crossing the net to check on his opponent.

A physically hampered Kozlov was unable to serve out the victory as Dimitrov levelled the match, but the American incredibly found a second wind to clinch the only break of the deciding set and seal the biggest win of his career.

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Kozlov’s second-round opponent will be either Denis Kudla or his Monday practice partner, fourth seed Rafael Nadal.

The American was delighted with the way things had turned out. “Today I was totally expecting not to be playing,” he said. “Now I’ve got the biggest win of my career and I’m about to play Rafa Nadal.

“I was practising with him today at six o’clock and then I saw my messages. I think he’s just a fantastic human being, I just have so much respect and I can’t wait to put on a show with him.”