Nadal won the preparatory tournament in Melbourne and then the Australian Open, where he celebrated a record 21st Grand Slam trophy. By winning Saturday’s 91st title in Mexico, he approached the third Ivan Lendl (94) in the historical ranking. The most successful is Jimmy Connors (109) ahead of Roger Federer (103), who has been treating an operated knee since last year’s Wimbledon.
Nadal triumphed in Acapulco in 2005, 2013 and the year before. He fought with Norrie in the final without five minutes for two hours and scored his fifteenth victory in a row. He is experiencing the best start of the season. “The conditions were difficult, very stuffy. Cameron is a good and smart player, he can put his opponents under pressure. But when he gave me a chance, I took it,” said the native of Mallorca. In the world rankings, he will improve by one place to fourth on Monday.
Marie Bouzková will play for the third time on the WTA Tour title at the tournament in Guadalajara. In the semifinals, the Czech tennis player defeated the Chinese Wang Chiang 6: 3, 6: 3 and her last rival in Mexico will be the former US Open winner Sloane Stephens from the United States.
Twenty-three-year-old Bouzková will have a third chance to win the premier title among the elite. The Prague native played the finals the year before last at another Mexican tournament in Monterrey and last year in Melbourne before the Australian Open.
By advancing to the finals, Bouzková confirmed that she was doing well in Guadalajara. In 2019, in the premiere year of the tournament, which was then part of the WTA 125 challenger series, she played the finals and advanced to the semifinals last year. She dropped out with the later champion Sara Sorribesová from Spain, who retaliated on Friday after a year.
“It is extraordinary that I will play my third final in Guadalajara. I don’t think I could wish for a better place for it. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow,” said 96th player Bouzková for the final match, which will be played on Monday at 2 p.m. : 00 CET.
The former world twelve Wang Chiang, who is now in the middle of the second hundred, was defeated by Bouzková in an hour and a half. “I was expecting a tough match. I was ready to play long exchanges. I tried to stay in them and in the end I played a good match,” said the Czech tennis player.
The 2014 US Open junior winner will face the player who won the New York Grand Slam three years later in the main category. Stephens played in the semifinals with Anna Kalinska 3: 6, 7: 5, Russia did not enter the third set due to a back injury.
The 28-year-old, who eliminated fourteen-year-old debutante Brenda Fruhvirt in the first round, will play her first final since the Champions Tournament in October 2018. Stephens turned her first six finals into a victory, losing another three title matches. The only match in Toronto in 2019 was won by Bouzková in two sets.
GUADALAJARA (hard surface, $ 239,477 grant): |
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Singles Semifinals: |
Bouzková (Czech Republic) – Wang Chiang (China) 6: 3, 6: 3 |
Stephens (6-USA) – Kalinska (RUS) 3: 6, 7: 5, ret. |
ACAPULCO (hard surface, $ 1,678,065 grant): |
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Singles – Final: |
Nadal (4-Sp.) – Norrie (6-Brit.) 6: 4, 6: 4. |
Doubles – Final: |
López, Tsitsipas (Sp. / Greece) – Rojer, Arévalo (4-Niz./Salv.) 7: 5, 6: 4. |
SANTIAGO DE CHILE (clay, $ 546,340): |
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Singles Semifinals: |
Martínez (4-Šp.) – Tabilo (Chile) 5:7, 6:4, 6:4. |