By Chris Oddo | Tuesday February 28, 2017
The stars were out at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco on Tuesday night, and they will be out on Wednesday as well, because both No.1-seeded Novak Djokovic and No.2-seeded Rafael Nadal advanced in straight sets to reach the second round.
More: Puig Prevails, Bouchard Falls in Acapulco
Djokovic got the ball rolling in front of a packed house on Cancha Central with a 6-3, 7-6(4) win in his Acapulco debut over Martin Klizan in one hour and 34 minutes.
Klizan pressed Djokovic at times, but he failed to convert on any of his four break points as Djokovic grabbed the opener, 6-3.
The second set was a wild ride but it was Djokovic who prevailed in the tiebreaker after the pair traded breaks twice. The Serb finished his victory with a wild set point and a lively victory celebration as the crowd roared its approval.
Nadal’s victory was less complicated and more emphatic. He got past Germany’s Mischa Zverev, 6-4, 6-3, in 77 minutes to book his spot in round two.
Nadal saved the only break point he faced and won 35 of 44 first-serve points against Zverev.
He broke in the final game of the first set, cracking forehand winners on the final two points. In the second set Nadal broke for 3-1, crushing a forehand that Zverev could not volley back in court, and held the rest of the way to set up a second-round encounter with Paolo Lorenzi of Italy.
Lorenzi defeated Yen-Hsun Lu, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Djokovic’s second-rounder promises to be a lot more complicated, as he could face Juan Martin del Potro for the first time since their Olympic first-round match at Rio last year.
Del Potro is currently facing 19-year-old American Frances Tiafoe in the final night match on Cancha Central.
In other first-round action on Tuesday, No.3-seeded Marin Cilic eased past Alexandr Dolgopolov, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, while No.7-seeded Nick Kyrgios got past Dudi Sela, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.