Zverev Faces Tough Path at Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco
Top seed Alexander Zverev will need to hit the ground running if he hopes to make a deep run at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco.
The German star opens his campaign against World No. 34 Matteo Arnaldi, who recently reached the Delray Beach semi-finals. Should he advance, Zverev could face Dallas champion Denis Shapovalov in the second round, provided the Canadian overcomes former Top 10 player Cameron Norrie.
Zverev’s potential quarter-final opponents include Delray Beach champion Miomir Kecmanovic, eighth seed Tomas Machac, or rising #NextGenATP star Jakub Mensik. Machac reached the quarter-finals in Dallas earlier this month, while Mensik has already secured five Top 10 wins in just one year on tour. The two Czechs will meet in an exciting first-round battle.
Rune, Shelton Lurk as Semifinal Threats
Fourth seed Holger Rune and fifth seed Ben Shelton are in line to face 2021 Acapulco champion Zverev in the semi-finals. Rune begins his tournament against Roberto Carballes Baena, while Shelton faces Flavio Cobolli.
Rune, currently No. 12 in the PIF ATP Rankings, has twice reached the Acapulco semi-finals, while Shelton made it to the quarter-finals last year. In their Lexus ATP Head2Head matchups, Zverev leads Rune 3-1 and holds a 1-0 advantage over Shelton.
Ruud, Paul Headline Bottom Half
In the lower half of the draw, second seed Casper Ruud opens against Arthur Rinderknech and could meet American Frances Tiafoe in the quarter-finals. Ruud, last year’s Acapulco finalist, is still searching for his first title of 2024.
Meanwhile, third seed Tommy Paul shares a section with sixth seed Lorenzo Musetti, with both players starting their campaigns against qualifiers.
