MEXICO CITY – The Mexican Open final in Acapulco was a thrilling match as the spectators were worried about World number seven Alexander Zverev’s uncertain start. However, he picked up in the right time to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 7-6 (3).
The 23-year-old German lost the final of the hardcourt tournament to Nick Kyrgios in 2019 and quickly went 4-1 down to the Greek top seed on Sunday, at one point completely missing the ball when attempting an overhead smash.
Zverev broke for 5-4 in an equally tight second set and served for the title but Tsitsipas saved a championship point and put the contest back on serve when his German opponent double-faulted.
The set tiebreak was again studded with lengthy rallies and Zverev prevailed 7-3 on his third championship point when he pounced on a Tsitsipas drop shot and pounded the ball past the Greek into the back of the court.
“This week has been one of the most fun I have had in recent months, the tournament showed that the public can attend sporting events,” Zverev said to the cheers of the crowd after receiving the trophy.
“When I have my chances, I need to close it out against these top players because normally they won’t give you a second chance. I thought I played extremely well in the tiebreak, I’m happy with how it went.”
Tsitsipas, who has reached semi-finals at the Australian Open and Rotterdam this year, conceded that the better player had won in the end.
“I did everything I could, but Alex was superior,” the 22-year-old world number five said.
