Caper Ruud spent almost three hours on the court during his first match in over a month at the Mexican Open before booking a place in the second round.
Ruud, who hasn’t played a match since his second round defeat at the Australian Open, managed to escape an early exit from the tournament by outlasting Argentine qualifier Guido Andreozzi 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(2). Despite hitting 33 winners with 16 of those being aces, the Norwegian struggled to tame Andreozzi who has been ranked as high as 70th in the world. Both players were broken five times during the match.
“Confidence wise I have probably felt better because this is my first match in five, six weeks,” Ruud told atptour.com after his match. “So you’re kind of wondering where your level is at. Today was a little bit up and down. I showed some good tennis at times but also Guido made it difficult for me. He is a very good player, he has been in the top 100 in the world and has the experience to play a very high level of tennis.’
“I was close to packing my bags and going home but luckily I survived and I am looking forward to the next match.”
After experiencing a hectic off-season that saw him play exhibition matches across South America and in the Middle East, Ruud opted to take a training block during February instead. The two-time Grand Slam finalist is hoping to regain some momentum in his tennis after what has been a disappointing start to the season for him. This week is his third tournament of the year but so far he has only recorded two wins on the Tour.
Ruud, who is the second seed in the draw, will next take on another qualifier in the shape of Japan’s Taro Daniel who defeated JJ Wolf 6-4, 6-4, in his first round match.
Another seed who overcame a stern scare in his opening match was Taylor Fritz who edged his way past veteran player John Isner 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The American is currently at a career-high of No.5 in the world which is the highest position a male player from his country has been ranked on the ATP Tour since 2009.
“It’s exciting to be inside the top 5. Now it’s time to focus more on the tournament and not so much on the ranking. It was great to get through the match and get the win,” Fritz commented after his win over Isner.
The victory has set Fritz up with an intriguing showdown against former world No.10 Denis Shapovalov who is currently experiencing a roller-coaster 2023 which has featured a semi-final appearance, two first round defeats and a run to the third round of the Australian Open. Shapovalov began his campaign by defeating Miomir Kecmanovic 6-7(4), 6-0, 7-5.
Holger Rune recovered from a set down to defeat Ben Shelton 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-2, in what was a battle of the young guns. Shelton is currently ranked 41st in the world and reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in his debut last month.
“I wasn’t as sharp as I would´ve liked, especially during key moments of the first set,” Rune said afterwards. “I embraced it and got through; I started strong with my serve in the second set, I played much more freely, a bit more aggressive and I felt at ease.”
“After that, we played two amazing last points in the second set. I feel like I had a little bit of the advantage and I used it to my advantage. My discipline was key in the third set,” he added.
Carlos Alcaraz, who is the top seed in Acapulco, is set to begin his campaign on Tuesday despite there being concerns over his fitness. The Spaniard struggled with issues with both of his legs during the Rio Open last week and had strapping placed on his right leg during the final. Alcaraz’s first round opponent will be Mackenzie McDonald.
This year’s champion in Mexico will earn $376,620 in prize money and 500 ranking points.