The Spaniard throws the North American out of the tournament, beating him 7-6 (3) and 6-4
Rune also advanced to the round, knocking out Ben Shelton 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-2.
the danish Holger Runefourth favourite, went from less to more to win by 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-2 to the american Ben Shelton and the Spanish Feliciano Lopez was imposed by 7-6(3), 6-4 to the american Christopher Eubanks, this Monday in the first round of the Mexican Tennis Open. Rune, champion of the Paris Master and noted as one of the most visible young talents on the tour, had a hard time imposing his class against an irreverent rival, who has been a professional for a year, but played like a veteran.
One of the most striking results at the start of the tournament was the victory of Feliciano López, who at the age of 41 made his last appearance in Acapulco and defeated Eubanks. López was better in the tiebreak of the first set and made a timely break in the second to advance to the second round, in which he will face the American French Tiafoethe sixth seed, who won by 7-6(6), 6-4 from Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka.
For his part, in a first set without breaks, Rune let go of two opportunities to take the set; Shelton took note and with a couple of mini breaks he took the first set. The 19-year-old Rune kept up her stinging serve in the second set. He found resistance from the rival until in the tenth game he made a break to win 6-4. In the third the fight was even until in the sixth ‘game’ Rune broke and dealt a psychological blow to Shelton, 20, called to grow in the circuit. In the second round Rune will face the winner between the Portuguese Nuno Borges and the American Nick Chapell.
A while before the American Taylor Fritz, seventh racket in the world, suffered to defeat his compatriot John Isner 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Fritz needed to use his best weapons to recover from a first set in which he was broken in the eighth game, to do the same in the second segment and break in the ninth of the third set. The Indian Wells Master 1,000 champion will face Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the second round, who beat Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic 6-7(4), 6-0, 7-5. In another match, the American Michael Mmoh beat his compatriot Marcos Girón 7-6(3), 6-1.
This Monday the Norwegian Casper Ruud, second seed, will debut against the Argentine Guido Andreozzi, racket 342 in the world, arrived from the qualifying tournament. The debut of Spanish Carlos Alcaraz is scheduled for this Tuesday against the American Mackenzie McDonald, as long as the doctors authorize the Murcian to take part in the tournament, after an injury. The Open, ATP 500 tournament, takes place on a hard court with a prize pool of $2,178,980.