Monfils, Wu Make History in Acapulco – Tennis Now
In a historic Tuesday night time on the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, veteran Gael Monfils and rising star Wu Yibing etched their names into the document books with two of probably the most important victories of the event’s opening spherical.
Monfils Defies Father Time
Monfils offered a classic show of resilience, defeating Damir Dzumhur 6-4, 7-6(5) in what was a high-stakes, roller-coaster affair. With this victory, the 39-year-old turned the oldest Frenchman to win a tour-level match in the Open Era, surpassing the longevity of his legendary compatriots Nicolas Mahut and Richard Gasquet.
The match was removed from easy. After taking the primary set, Monfils discovered himself trailing by a break in the second as Dzumhur appeared to pressure himself to determine. The drama peaked with Dzumhur serving at 4-5, 15-40; the Bosnian heroically saved two match factors to ultimately pressure a tiebreak. However, Monfils’ expertise shone by in the strain moments, permitting him to shut out the match and snap a troublesome seven-match shedding streak courting again to final summer season.
Making his closing look in Acapulco earlier than his deliberate retirement on the finish of the season, Monfils can be now the second-oldest man to ever win a match at this occasion. Remarkably, he had not competed in the Mexican resort city since 2009, when the occasion was nonetheless held on clay. He strikes on to face Valentin Vacherot in the second spherical.
Wu Yibing Sets a New Landmark
On the opposite facet of the draw, Wu Yibing continued to solidify his standing as a pioneer for Chinese males’s tennis. In a shocking upset, Wu took down third-seeded Casper Ruud with a disciplined 7-6(2), 7-6(1) efficiency. The victory makes Wu the primary Chinese man to ever win a match in Acapulco.
Relying on his blazing forehand (it was completely on hearth) and scientific baseline aggression, Wu dominated each tiebreaks to safe his third profession win over a Top-20 opponent. His means to take care of a excessive stage of play in opposition to the world No. 12 proved that he stays a harmful menace on laborious courts when wholesome.
Men’s First-Round Results – Tuesday in Acapulco
- Alexander Zverev [1] def. Corentin Moutet, 6-2, 6-4
- Patrick Kypson def. Alex de Minaur [2]6-1, 6-7(4), 7-6(3)
- Wu Yibing def. Casper Ruud [3]7-6(2), 7-6(1)
- Alexander Davidovich Fokina [4] def. Daniel Altmaier, 7-5, 6-3
- Flavio Cobolli [5] def. Rodrigo Pacheco Méndez, 7-6(3), 7-6(3)
- Valentin Vacherot [6] def. Coleman Wong, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
- Rafael Jodar def. Cameron Norrie [7]6-3, 6-2
- Frances Tiafoe [8] def. Nuno Borges, 6-4, 6-4
- Gael Monfils def. Damir Dzumhur, 6-4, 7-6(5)
- Sho Shimabukuro def. Adrian Mannarino, 6-3, 6-4
- Alexander Kovacevic def. Adam Walton, 7-6(1), 7-6(3)
- Miomir Kecmanovic def. Tristan Schoolkate, 6-2, 6-2
- Brandon Nakashima def. Elias Ymer, 6-3, 6-4
- Terence Atmane def. Grigor Dimitrov, 6-3 6-3
