Internet Desk: Second seed Rafael Nadal wasted no time getting down to business on Friday at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, recording a convincing 6-1, 6-2 win over third seed Marin Cilic to reach the final in Acapulco.
“I have to be playing well to win like this against a player like Marin, so I’m pleased with the performance,” said Nadal. “I’m happy with my focus in important moments, saving break points with good shots. I enjoyed the atmosphere here, so it’s great for me to be in the final.”
Nadal remains undefeated at this event, improving to 14-0 and winning all 28 sets he has played. Both of his previous Acapulco titles, in 2005 and 2013, came on red clay. Nadal also boosts his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Cilic to 4-1 and has won their past four matches.
The Spaniard will face Sam Querrey in Saturday’s final after the American continued his dream run with a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory over sixth seed Nick Kyrgios, becoming the first American finalist in the tournament’s 24-year history. Nadal has dominated his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Querrey 4-0, including a win last May at the Mutua Madrid Open. A win would gave Nadal his first hard-court title since the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in January 2014.
“Sam is playing great,” said Nadal. “He’ll be coming into the match with a lot of confidence.”
Cilic was uncharacteristically out of sorts in the opening set, hitting 15 errors in the first five games as Nadal raced to a 5-0 lead. A pair of aces put the third seed on the scoreboard, but it was only a moral victory as the Spaniard held in the next game to grab the early advantage.
The second set started out identically to the first as Nadal immediately grabbed an early break to lead 2-0. Although Cilic began to find his footing and test Nadal’s serve, the Spaniard saved all four break points in the second set with clutch serving. A backhand passing shot on the run gave Nadal an insurance break to lead 5-2 and he struck a forehand winner on his first match point to advance in one hour and 23 minutes.
Kyrgios and Querrey traded comfortable holds to start their opening set, but a pair of forehand errors from Querrey gifted a break of serve at 3-3. Kyrgios’ cheeky net rush off a first-serve from Querrey at 5-3 appeared to rattle the American, goading him into a string of baseline errors to give the Aussie the early advantage.
But Querrey regrouped at the changeover and appeared committed to extending the baseline rallies, opening the second set with an immediate break of serve. Kyrgios appeared to waver mentally for the first time this week, opting for flashy shots over disciplined hitting. A series of casual mistakes from the sixth seed enabled Querrey to take the last four games of the set and level the match.
Little separated the pair in the deciding set as they continued to hold, but it was Kyrgios who blinked first. Serving at 5-6, a backhand sent wide by the Aussie brought up a pair of match points for the American. He only needed one, hitting a forehand winner to wrap up the contest.
“It’s unbelievable. This place is sold out every single night and the energy around the grounds is amazing,” said Querrey. “The ball bounces right into my strike zone on these courts, so I’m very comfortable playing here.”
Querrey is through to his first ATP World Tour final since winning in February 2016 at the Delray Beach Open (d. Ram). His outstanding form this week has seen him defeat fifth seed David Goffin in the second-round and fourth seed Dominic Thiem in the quarter-finals before his latest upset against Kyrgios.
“When I play my best, I’m capable of beating a lot of these top guys and I’ve been able to put it all together these past three matches,” said Querrey. “It just gets tougher from here because Rafa has been playing great all year, so I’m going to talk with my coach and leave it all out on the court.”