In a historic Tuesday night at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, veteran Gael Monfils and rising star Wu Yibing etched their names into the record books with two of the most significant victories of the tournament’s opening round.
Monfils Defies Father Time
Monfils provided a vintage display of resilience, defeating Damir Dzumhur 6-4, 7-6(5) in what was a high-stakes, roller-coaster affair. With this victory, the 39-year-old became the oldest Frenchman to win a tour-level match in the Open Era, surpassing the longevity of his legendary compatriots Nicolas Mahut and Richard Gasquet.
The match was far from straightforward. After taking the first set, Monfils found himself trailing by a break in the second as Dzumhur looked to force a decider. The drama peaked with Dzumhur serving at 4-5, 15-40; the Bosnian heroically saved two match points to eventually force a tiebreak. However, Monfils’ experience shone through in the pressure moments, allowing him to close out the match and snap a difficult seven-match losing streak dating back to last summer.
Making his final appearance in Acapulco before his planned retirement at the end of the season, Monfils is also now the second-oldest man to ever win a match at this event. Remarkably, he had not competed in the Mexican resort town since 2009, when the event was still held on clay. He moves on to face Valentin Vacherot in the second round.
Wu Yibing Sets a New Landmark
On the other side of the draw, Wu Yibing continued to solidify his status as a pioneer for Chinese men’s tennis. In a stunning upset, Wu took down third-seeded Casper Ruud with a disciplined 7-6(2), 7-6(1) performance. The victory makes Wu the first Chinese man to ever win a match in Acapulco.
Relying on his blazing forehand (it was absolutely on fire) and clinical baseline aggression, Wu dominated both tiebreaks to secure his third career win over a Top-20 opponent. His ability to maintain a high level of play against the world No. 12 proved that he remains a dangerous threat on hard courts when healthy.
Men’s First-Round Results – Tuesday in Acapulco
- Alexander Zverev [1] def. Corentin Moutet, 6-2, 6-4
- Patrick Kypson def. Alex de Minaur [2], 6-1, 6-7(4), 7-6(3)
- Wu Yibing def. Casper Ruud [3], 7-6(2), 7-6(1)
- Alejandro Davidovich Fokina [4] def. Daniel Altmaier, 7-5, 6-3
- Flavio Cobolli [5] def. Rodrigo Pacheco Méndez, 7-6(3), 7-6(3)
- Valentin Vacherot [6] def. Coleman Wong, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
- Rafael Jódar def. Cameron Norrie [7], 6-3, 6-2
- Frances Tiafoe [8] def. Nuno Borges, 6-4, 6-4
- Gaël Monfils def. Damir Dzumhur, 6-4, 7-6(5)
- Sho Shimabukuro def. Adrian Mannarino, 6-3, 6-4
- Aleksandar Kovacevic def. Adam Walton, 7-6(1), 7-6(3)
- Miomir Kecmanovic def. Tristan Schoolkate, 6-2, 6-2
- Brandon Nakashima def. Elias Ymer, 6-3, 6-4
- Terence Atmane def. Grigor Dimitrov, 6-3 6-3