Mexican Open: Earthquake fails to stop Alexander Zverev from reaching final
An earthquake fails to stop Alexander Zverev from beating fellow German Dominik Koepfer to reach the Mexican Open final in Acapulco.
An earthquake fails to stop Alexander Zverev from beating fellow German Dominik Koepfer to reach the Mexican Open final in Acapulco.
Stefanos Tsitsipas says his record against Alexander Zverev will mean little when he faces the German on Saturday in the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC final.
Tsitsipas, who was speaking after he beat qualifier Lorenzo Musetti 6-1, 6-3 in the Acapulco semi-finals on Friday night, leads Zverev 5-1 in their ATP Head2Head series.
“It means something, but it doesn’t mean anything for tomorrow,” said Tsitsipas. “I’ve been playing good tennis and I’ve been feeling well on the court. He’s had the same route as me to get to where he is right now. I see it as a fresh, new start. I try not to think about the Head2Head.
“For me every single match counts and no matter if I am 10-0 up or 0-10 down, I try and reassess, and each match acts as a lesson. I think it’s the first time we’ve faced each other in a final, so I will try and bring some good tennis.”
Watch Acapulco Semi-final Highlights
World No. 5 Tsitsipas, who is competing in Acapulco for the first time this week, has won his past five matches against Zverev and is hoping to draw upon the support of the crowd. The 22-year-old Greek, who will be bidding to capture his sixth ATP Tour trophy on Saturday, has yet to capture an ATP 500 (0-5 record).
“The crowd show me their love and dedication,” said Tsitsipas. “I love them back. We feel one another. I think Mexicans share a lot in common with Greeks, we are passionate people and we appreciate high quality sport. The fans have been the key part of my route to the final.
“I want the crowd to be as one with me. I feel the people [and] I feel the need to give [them] as much positivity as I receive.”
Lorenzo Musetti was disappointed not to reach the Acapulco final on Friday night, but admitted he “will never forget this week” at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.
The #NextGenATP Italian star, who qualified for the ATP 500 event, played his seventh match of the week, but fell to top-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-1, 6-3 in the semi-finals.
“It was an incredible run and week for me,” said Musetti. “Tonight, Stefanos was too good for. I was really tired from the past six matches. I felt it in my legs and stomach, and I couldn’t breath. I enjoyed the crowd and the emotion this week.
“I didn’t expect to reach the semi-finals. It was a dream week and I couldn’t believe what I did. Every day was different and a big emotion for me. I will never forget this week.”
The 19-year-old will the third-youngest semi-finalist in Acapulco tournament history, following in the footsteps of Xavier Malisse (1998) and Rafael Nadal (2005).
Musetti now plans to compete in qualifying for the Miami Open presented by Itau, but fully intends to return to Acapulco in the future. He had been seeking his first tour-level final in his fourth ATP Tour event.
“I will definitely come back,” said Musetti. “I really enjoyed playing here, the people, the beach and the sea.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas ended the dream run of qualifier Lorenzo Musetti on Friday night for a place in the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC final.
Top seed Tsitsipas didn’t let the #NextGenATP Italian settle and completed a 6-1, 6-3 victory in 79 minutes for a place in his 13th ATP Tour final (5-7), where he will face second-seeded German Alexander Zverev. The Greek will now attempt to capture his first ATP 500 trophy.
“Matches like this are really important and I’m happy to be playing well,” said Tsitsipas. “Acapulco has been treating me really well and the fans have been giving me love and support. We’ll definitely see a lot from Lorenzo in the future, he has a wonderful one-handed backhand and creates lots of opportunities. He showed his level this week.”
Tsitsipas leads Zverev 5-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, with their last match coming at the 2020 ATP Cup. Zverev beat fellow German Dominik Koepfer 6-4, 7-6(5) earlier in the day.
“I am really looking forward to the final,” said Tsitsipas. “Sascha is someone I’ve played against in the past and it’s never easy. We’re both really hungry and we’re both very competitive.”
It will be the first time that the top two seeds have contested the Acapulco final since 2015, when No. 2 seed David Ferrer of Spain defeated top-seeded Japanese star Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-5.
[WATCH LIVE 2]Tsitsipas ran through the first set, not allowing Musetti to play his own free-flowing game. The Greek won five straight games from 1-1 and at the end of the 33-minute opener, Musetti received on-court treatment.
Musetti continued to use the drop shot as an offensive weapon and attempted to draw Tsitsipas to the net as a target to strike past, but after seven matches this week, the Italian continued to make costly errors. At 3-3 in the second set, Tsitsipas broke serve after Musetti could not control a powerful forehand at the net.
Tsitsipas extended his stay in Acapulco, completing his fourth victory, when Musetti hit a short backhand into the net. The Greek, who barely put a foot wrong, won 22 of his 26 first-service points and struck 17 of his 23 winners off his forehand. He will now look to capture his sixth ATP Tour crown on Saturday against Zverev.
Musetti, who was playing only his 12th tour-level match, beat World No. 9 Diego Schwartzman in the Acapulco first round, and followed it up with victories over Frances Tiafoe in the second round, and Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals. The 19-year-old will break into the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday.
Not even an earthquake was able to stop Alexander Zverev in his semi-final on Friday evening at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.
With Dominik Koepfer serving at 40/15 in the first game of the second set, there were tremors that shook the stadium. It turned out to be a 5.7 magnitude earthquake in the state of Guerrero, according to the United States Geological Survey.
“I didn’t know what happened. Neither did Dominik. We just heard the crowd. I guess the lights started shaking and the crowd felt it more than we did. We were running around the court, so we had to play a point during the earthquake,” Zverev said. “We didn’t feel much, but still obviously I know it happens here in Acapulco. I’ve witnessed it here before, so I guess it’s normal for Acapulco.
“Last year we had a similar thing during my match or during my practice. I don’t remember. It was bigger though, because I saw the lights shaking. I didn’t see anything today. But I guess it happens in this area. Everything is proved to be stable… I hope everyone is fine at the area that is closest to the earthquake.”
Zverev fell behind by a break in the second set, but he wasn’t ultimately rattled by the earthquake. The World No. 7 defeated his countryman 6-4, 7-6(5).
Players who were off court felt the earthquake to a greater extent. Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski had recently won their doubles semi-final against Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury. Neal had just laid down on the massage table when the quake hit.
“It was really strange, that,” Neal said. “I actually thought it was some massage technique that he was doing, because the bed was shaking. I just thought it was normal. Then an alarm went off on his phone and that’s when I thought, ‘This is a bit strange.’ Then he said, ‘We’re going to go outside because of an earthquake.’ I couldn’t put my clothes on quick enough to get out of the building.
“I [experienced] one before many years ago in Italy throughout the night, but not as big as that one. Really weird and I don’t want to be in one of them again.”
Earthquake in Acapulco! Wow that felt strange
— Neal Skupski (@nealskupski) March 20, 2021
Ken was waiting to get a massage himself, sitting nearby one of his opponent’s in Saturday’s final, Horacio Zeballos.
“It didn’t last necessarily that long, but it was long enough to look at each other and realise that it didn’t seem right. There are a couple people working here who also said, ‘That’s an earthquake,’” Ken said. “It got bigger and bigger. It only lasted maybe five seconds, but it was enough to feel like the whole building was shaking… It was enough to freak you out, because I’ve never experienced one. I’m hoping that this is the only one that they’re going to have here because obviously there’s a fear of bigger and stronger ones in the coming hours or days.”
First ATP 500 final ✅
First Earthquake ✅— Ken Skupski ? (@k_skupski) March 20, 2021
Acapulco was rocking on Friday evening, and the semi-final action at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC was only part of the story. Second seed Alexander Zverev didn’t let an earthquake rattle him on his way to a 6-4, 7-6(5) victory against Dominik Koepfer to reach his 23rd ATP Tour final.
Zverev will play second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas for a shot at his 14th ATP Tour title. The German has reached the final here previously in 2019, and made the semi-finals in his debut the year prior. He has not dropped a set en route to this year’s championship match, including a quarter-final walkover from Casper Ruud.
Zverev took a fast lead in the opening set, going up a double-break to lead a nervy Koepfer 4-1. But once his countryman settled into the match, Zverev was in for a battle. Koepfer got the break back and earned two break points that would have levelled the score at 4-4. Zverev responded by raising his level and taking the set.
The Germans had to briefly halt play when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake in the state of Guerrero suddenly shook Cancha Central for about a half minute during Koepfer’s service game.
“The lights started shaking and the crowd felt it more than we did,” Zverev said in his post-match press conference. “We were running around the court, so we had to play a point during the earthquake. We didn’t feel much, but still obviously I know it happens here in Acapulco.”
After they got their bearings, Koepfer didn’t miss a beat as he broke first to take a 3-1 lead. But Zverev again responded in style. He created break opportunities in each of Koepfer’s next three service games and finally converted at 5-4 to send them into a tie-break, where he claimed victory after two hours and 10 minutes.
“He’s a very tough player to play right now. He won some incredible matches,” Zverev said. “Beating [Milos] Raonic on a hard court the way that he did is very tough. I think he showed that he is somebody who can play extremely well on this level. Today, honestly, I thought I played a not bad match and he gave me a tough time.”
Zverev trails Tsitsipas 1-5 in the ATP Head2Head series, with their last match coming at the 2020 ATP Cup. The top two seeds will meet off in the Acapulco final for the first time since 2015 when No. 2 seed David Ferrer of Spain defeated top-seeded Japanese star Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-5.
Top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos edged past French duo Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 7-6(6) to reach their first final of the season at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.
Playing in just their second tournament together in 2021, Granollers and Zeballos recovered from an early break in the opening set and needed a tie-break to seal the second set against the third seeds. The Spanish-Argentine team saved five of seven break points faced to claim victory in an hour and 35 minutes.
Granollers and Zeballos are seeking their fourth trophy as a team in Acapulco. They will contest their first championship match since their run to the final in Rome last year.
In the second semi-final, Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski toppled fourth seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury to book their meeting with Granollers and Zeballos.
[WATCH LIVE 2]The British brothers also needed to win a second-set tie-break, fighting through 6-4, 7-6(5) after an hour and 31 minutes. The Skupski siblings will be aiming for a third title together in Saturday’s final, and a win would mark their first trophy since 2019 in Budapest.
World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev will lead a packed field at the 2021 Miami Open presented by Itau, the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the year.
Medvedev is one of six players inside Top 10 in the FedEx ATP Rankings who will be in action in South Florida. The Russian started the season by leading his country to ATP Cup glory, before advancing to his second Grand Slam final at the Australian Open.
The three-time Masters 1000 winner will be joined by Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, Diego Schwartzman and Matteo Berrettini. The draw will be made on Monday.
The tournament has awarded a wild card to former World No. 1 Andy Murray, as well as rising talents including #NextGenATP Carlos Alcaraz, Michael Mmoh, Hugo Gaston and Jack Draper.
Note: Due to reduced fan capacity, the Grandstand Court will serve as the main court for the 2021 tournament and there will be no Stadium Court inside Hard Rock Stadium.
Here’s all you need to know about the Miami tennis tournament: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more.
Established: 1985
Tournament Dates: 24 March – 4 April 2021
Tournament Director: James Blake
Draw Ceremony: Monday, 22 March 2021, 12 noon. Location TBD
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Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: 22-23 March at 10am
* Main draw: Wednesday, 24 March – Sunday, 4 April at 11:00am
* Singles semi-finals: Saturday, 21 March at 11:00am and 1:00pm
* Doubles final: Saturday, 3 April, not before 1pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 4 April, 1pm
How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV
TV Schedule
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium
Prize Money: USD $3,343,785 (Total Financial Commitment: USD $4,130,455)
Tickets On Sale: Buy Now
Note: The Miami Open presented by Itau is welcoming a select number of fans to the 2021 event.
View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown
Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Andre Agassi, Novak Djokovic (6)
Most Titles, Doubles: Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan (6)
Oldest Champion: Roger Federer, 37, in 2019
Youngest Champion: Novak Djokovic, 19, in 2007
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 1 Ivan Lendl in 1986, 1989, Pete Sampras in 1994, Roger Federer in 2005-06, Novak Djokovic in 2012, 2015-16
Lowest-Ranked Champion (since 1985): No. 45 Tim Mayotte in 1985
Most Match Wins: Andre Agassi (61)
2019 Finals
Singles: [4] Roger Federer (SUI) d [7] John Isner (USA) 61 64 Read & Watch
Doubles: [3] Bob Bryan (USA) / Mike Bryan (USA) d Wesley Koolhof (NED) / Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 75 76(8) Read More
Social
Hashtag: #MiamiOpen
Facebook: @MiamiOpen
Twitter: @MiamiOpen
Instagram: @MiamiOpen
Did You Know… After 32 years at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, the Miami Open presented by Itau made its debut at Hard Rock Stadium — home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins — in 2019.
When this year’s ATP Cup began, few knew Aslan Karatsev. The Russian was outside the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings and he had never played a Grand Slam main draw. During the trophy ceremony following Team Russia’s victory, Daniil Medvedev complimented his countryman.
“Aslan, I’m not joking, was a secret weapon for doubles,” Medvedev said. “He didn’t manage to show it because we didn’t have a 1-1 match, but he was our secret weapon.”
Even the World No. 2 could not have predicted the run Karatsev has enjoyed over the past five weeks. The 27-year-old is no longer a secret. The World No. 42 has quickly proven himself one of the most dangerous players on the ATP Tour.
On Friday evening, he faced a stiff challenge in the semi-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships against Andrey Rublev. Over the past 15 months, Rublev has mowed down opponent after opponent with raw power. But somehow, Karatsev did to his countryman what the World No. 8 does to the rest of the ATP Tour, overpowering him in a three-set victory.
Having already eliminated four seeded opponents at this ATP 500, Karatsev will play in his first ATP Tour final on Saturday against Lloyd Harris, who is also pursuing his maiden tour-level crown.
“I’m feeling good on the court, the way how I [have] competed, the way how I [have] played,” Karatsev said. “The Australian Open gave me for sure confidence.”
At the Australian Open, Karatsev, then the World No. 114, became the first man in the Open Era (since 1968) to reach the semi-finals on his Grand Slam debut. Former World No. 4 Brad Gilbert, who spoke to ATPTour.com after the Russian defeated Top 10 star Diego Schwartzman in the third round at Melbourne Park, was stunned by his success.
“The eye test tells me this dude was playing like a Top 20 player [against Schwartzman]. If me and you were sitting in the stands and you would have told me one guy was ranked No. 8 and the other guy No. 111, the guy who was No. 111 was Schwartzman,” Gilbert said. “He just man-handled him. Schwartzman didn’t play bad, he didn’t lose. The guy just took it from him. I was blown away.
“This is like some sort of English soccer third division team, but he isn’t playing like that.”
[WATCH LIVE 1]Now Karatsev is clearly in the Premier League, and he appears to be getting better every week. When tennis resumed last August following a five-month suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian was World No. 253. If he defeats Harris on Saturday, Karatsev is projected to crack the Top 30.
Of all current Top 50 players, the lowest anyone besides Karatsev was ranked when tennis resumed was Marton Fucsovics, who was World No. 84. Karatsev’s ascent is astonishing for a player who lost 11 consecutive matches in 2019, with none of those defeats coming at tour level.
How high the Russian can climb is still unclear, but the Karatsev secret is out. The breakout star, however, is only focused on what is in front of him.
“Last week I lost to Thiem, also had good chances. I lost in three sets, but I arrived here playing with confidence, playing a really good game,” Karatsev said. “[I am] looking forward to playing the final.”
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic announced on Friday that he will not compete in this year’s Miami Open presented by Itau.
“Dear fans, I’m very sorry to announce that this year I won’t travel to Miami to compete. I decided to use this precious time at home to stay with my family,” Djokovic tweeted. “With all [the] restrictions, I need to find balance in my time on tour and at home. I look forward to coming back next year!”
Dear fans, I’m very sorry to announce that this year I won’t travel to Miami to compete. I decided to use this precious time at home to stay with my family. With all restrictions, I need to find balance in my time on tour and at home. I look forward to coming back next year!
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) March 19, 2021
Miami Open presented by Itau Tournament Director James Blake said: “This has been a difficult year for everyone, but especially for players with families. As a father of two myself, I know how important it is to spend time with your children. Hopefully, we will have the opportunity to welcome Novak back to Miami next year.”
The Serbian is a six-time titlist at the ATP Masters 1000 event, where he has triumphed in 2007, 2011-12 and 2014-16. The only other player who has won six titles at the tournament is former World No. 1 Andre Agassi. Djokovic owns a 44-7 record at the event, which he has competed in 13 times.
The World No. 1 has won all nine of his matches so far in 2021, highlighted by his run to a ninth Australian Open title. Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev in the championship match at Melbourne Park in straight sets.