Mexican Open (ATP)
Previous Mexican Open Coverage
The first American to get the main draw started in Acapulco was Sam Querrey. Querrey took on Tigre Hank in the night cap of the first night. It was a competitive match with Hank taking the first set 7-6 (5) to put some pressure on Querrey. He responded just fine by pulling out the next two sets 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the next round. It wasn’t the strongest opponent for Querrey but playing Hank, a Mexican, in front of a pro-Hank crowd was definitely a challenge.
On Tuesday 
three more Americans will get underway. Donald Young didn’t think he’d be part of the main event after losing to Tim Smyczek in qualifying, but that changed when Jurgen Melzer had to withdraw. That left a lucky loser spot open into the main draw and it went to Young, making him the fourth American in the main draw. Young will be taking on Jarkko Nieminen on Tuesday for the right to face the winner of fellow American Tim Smyczek’s match with Gilles Simon. Both of the matchups are the first time the players have met. While the chance is small, since both Young and Smyczek would need to pull upsets, there is the slight chance that they could meet for the second time in a matter of days.
The other American to begin on Tuesday will be the #3 seed John Isner. Isner won’t have to face a top-25 player in the world in his quarter so the makings could be here for a nice run to the semifinals. He’ll start things off with a matchup with Ivo Karlovic of Croatia in the first round. The two have split their four previous matchups with Isner winning the latest, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) in the quarterfinals at Newport last year.
Schedule
- 5 PM – #3 John Isner vs. Ivo Karlovic – All-time series is 2-2
- Approx. 9 PM – Tim Smyczek vs. #6 Gilles Simon – First ever meeting
- Approx. 9 PM – Donald Young vs. Jarkko Nieminen – First ever meeting
