Rafael Nadal remains on course for his first title since the US Open after battling to a straight sets win over next gen star Miomir Kecmanović in the second round of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel Open.
The top seed faced some stern tests throughout his 6-2, 7-5, victory over the 20-year-old Serbian. Who has only ever defeated one top 10 player in his career so far, which was against Alexander Zverev in Cincinnati last year. Overall, Nadal hit 20 winners to 17 unforced errors and converted five out of his six break points.
“(It was a) Tough opponent, he’s a very dangerous player with a lot of power so I’m very pleased with my victory.” Nadal said afterwards.
A clinical start to the match saw Nadal win five consecutive games before Kecmanović managed to get on the scoreboard. The world No.50 did manage to retrieve one of the breaks, but the damage was already done as Nadal sealed the opener in just under 40 minutes. Then in the second the top seed was severely tested as he dropped serve whilst serving the match out at 5-3 due to some impressive play from across the court. However, he prevailed four games later to book a place in the quarter-finals.
“I think I played a great first set, which is positive news for me and gives me some confidence.” Nadal reflected.
“The second set was close. I lost my serve when serving for the match, but he played a great game. I was not serving first serves in that game and he was playing some good points.”
The 19-time grand slam champion now extends his win-loss record in Acapulco to 17-2. His only two losses were to Sam Querrey (2017) and Nick Kyrgios (2018). Both of those players went on to win the title that year.
Next up for Nadal will be a maiden meeting with South Korea’s Kwon Soon-woo, who is through to his fourth ATP quarter-final of the season. The world No.76 stunned eighth seed Dusan Lajovic 7-6(2), 6-2.
Mixed fortunes for the other seeds
The biggest casualty of the tournament so far is Zverev who suffered a straightforward loss to Tommy Paul. A player who is ranked almost 60 places lower than him in the ATP rankings. Struggling with his second serve, Zverev dropped serve once in each set to fall 6-3, 6-4.
“It just didn’t work”, Zverev said during his press conference. “When I play like this, it is not hard to defeat me. It wasn’t going up to the to the net, it wasn’t my backhand, it was my serve… a shot that didn’t work.”
Qualifier Paul has claimed his first ever win over a top 10 player in his career. The 22-year-old is currently at a career ranking high of 66th in the world. Last month he reached the semifinals of the Adelaide International and the third round of the Australian Open.
”It meant a lot. I was really excited to get out there and play. He put me under pressure in the first game and then from there, I played well for the rest of the match,” Paul said.
The American will play compatriot John Isner next.
Canadian rising star Felix Auger-Aliassime, who was seeded fourth in the draw, is another top name to exit the tournament. The 19-year-old fell 6-4, 6-4, to the in-form Kyle Edmund. Former grand slam semi-finalist Edmund is on a winning streak after recently claiming the New York Open title.
“He’s (Auger-Aliassime) won a lot of matches and he’s seeing the ball big. Like him, I’m on a decent run as well,” Edmund said. “I liked how I created chances in both sets early. Overall, against a Top 20 player, it was a good result. I’m very pleased.”
There was better news for Grigor Dimitrov. The Bulgarian endured a marathon encounter against Adrian Mannarino where he prevailed 6-7(8), 6-2, 7-6(2) after almost three hours of play. Dimitrov had a 4-1 lead in the final set before losing four games in a row. He then had to save two match points en route to winning.
”All I had to do was to stay in the match and fight. I don’t know why I have to make it so hard, but it what it is,” Dimitrov said. “The atmosphere here was electric once again. I’m just going to appreciate this moment.”
Dimitrov faces nemesis Stan Wawrinka next. Somebody he has lost to in their five previous meetings on the tour. The Swiss third seed eased to a 6-4, 6-4, win over Spain’s Pedro Martinez Portero in his second round match.
