Rafael Nadal is this week challenging Novak Djokovic for the No. 1 FedEx ATP Ranking.

Nadal is the top seed at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco. If the Spaniard lifts his third trophy at that ATP 500, he’ll force Djokovic to reach the semi-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships to retain World No. 1 on Monday.

Nadal is only defending 45 points this week since he lost in the second round in Acapulco last year. Djokovic, who did not compete this week in 2019, currently leads Nadal by 325 points, giving him a 370-point cushion for the week.

Watch Nadal Pre-Acapulco Interview:

If Djokovic advances to the quarter-finals in Dubai, he’ll add 90 points, leaving room for Nadal to reclaim top spot if the Spaniard takes the Acapulco title. The Serbian got off to a good start in Dubai with a straight-sets win against Malek Jaziri, putting him two victories away from guaranteeing he will retain World No. 1.

Djokovic next faces German Philipp Kohlschreiber, who defeated him last year in Indian Wells. The top seed could play powerful Russian Karen Khachanov, the seventh seed, in the quarter-finals. Djokovic is 14-0 on the season, and he is a four-time champion in Dubai.

Nadal, the top seed in Acapulco, begins his tournament against countryman Pablo Andujar. He is trying to return to World No. 1 just five weeks after relinquishing his position after the Australian Open, where Djokovic won a record-extending eighth title.

Both men have finished year-end No. 1 five times, joined in that feat by Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors. Pete Sampras holds the record for most year-end No. 1 finishes with six.

Djokovic has held World No. 1 for 279 weeks, putting him eight weeks from surpassing Sampras on 20 April for second in FedEx ATP Rankings history. That is, unless Nadal takes back top spot.

Gael Monfils extended his winning streak to 10 matches on Monday with a 6-4, 7-5 win against Marton Fucsovics at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The third seed needed just under two hours to record his sixth victory in nine matches at the ATP 500 tournament. Monfils, who reached the semi-finals at this event last year, improves to 2-0 in his ATP Head2Head series against Fucsovics.

Monfils has won 14 of his 16 matches this year, highlighted by trophies earlier this month in Montpellier and Rotterdam. The only players to beat the Frenchman this year are Australian Open finalists Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem. Monfils will meet Yasutaka Uchiyama or Yen-Hsun Lu in the second round.

Andrey Rublev began his own bid for a third title of 2020 with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Lorenzo Musetti. The sixth seed won 84 per cent of first-serve points (26/31) to earn his 14th victory in 16 matches this season.

The 22-year-old made an impressive start to the season with title runs in Doha and Adelaide, becoming the first man since Dominik Hrbaty in 2004 to open the year with two ATP Tour trophies in as many weeks. Since the start of the year, Rublev has risen nine positions to a career-high No. 14 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

The four-time ATP Tour titlist will meet Joao Sousa or Filip Krajinovic for a place in the quarter-finals. Rublev has reached the quarter-finals or better in three of his four tournament appearances this year.

Two-time semi-finalist Richard Gasquet also advanced on Monday. The 33-year-old withstood 13 aces to beat Lloyd Harris 7-6(5), 6-4. Gasquet will face countryman Benoit Paire or former World No. 3 Marin Cilic in the second round.

Michael Venus and John Peers began their bid for a first team title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Monday, beating Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Benoit Paire 6-4, 6-4 in 61 minutes.

In their fourth event as a team, Peers and Venus saved three of four break points to improve to 3-3 this season. Last month, the unseeded duo made its team debut at the ASB Classic and also reached the Australian Open third round.

Venus and Peers will meet defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury or Novak Djokovic and Marin Cilic for a place in the semi-finals. That first-round match will begin Tuesday’s evening session on Court 1.

Rotterdam finalists Henri Kontinen and Jan-Lennard Struff beat Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares 7-6(2), 7-6(4) to continue their run of form. The Finnish-German team will meet second seeds Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek or wild cards Matthew Ebden and Leander Paes in the quarter-finals.

In his first Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships appearance since 2016, Novak Djokovic extended his unbeaten start to the 2020 ATP Tour season with a 6-1, 6-2 victory against Malek Jaziri.

The World No. 1 landed 22 winners and did not face a break point to improve to 14-0 this year after exactly one hour. Djokovic quickly found the level he showcased throughout the opening month of the season, where he won each of the 13 matches he contested during title runs at the ATP Cup and the Australian Open.

“It’s a great way to start out the tournament,” said Djokovic. “As I’ve said in the press conference prior to the tournament, I miss playing here. I really enjoy it. I enjoy night sessions… I think I’ve done everything as well as I imagined it to be for the first match. Of course, there’s things that always can be improved, things that can be better. But I have to be satisfied with the performance.”

Djokovic is chasing his fifth title in Dubai this week. The 32-year-old owns a 37-6 tournament record, highlighted by tournament victories in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013. In Djokovic’s only previous ATP Head2Head clash against Jaziri in 2016, he also defeated the Tunisian 6-1, 6-2 at this event.

Djokovic will face 2014 semi-finalist Philipp Kohlschreiber for a spot in the quarter-finals. Kohlschreiber recovered from a set down to move past Egyptian wild card Mohamed Safwat 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.

Djokovic leads the German 11-2 in their ATP Head2Head series, which includes three victories from four encounters in 2019. At last year’s BNP Paribas Open, Kolschreiber stunned Djokovic in straight sets to reach the Round of 16.

“I lost to him in straight sets in Indian Wells last year. I am aware of what he’s capable of,” said Djokovic. “He likes actually playing top players on a big stage. He has lots of experience. He’s very fit. He keeps on playing even at that age on a high level.

”I certainly will not underestimate him… I will prepare myself. I’m feeling good on the court. Tonight was another testament to the way I feel. [I have] confidence. [I am] obviously striking the ball well. Hopefully that can continue in the next match.”

Karen Khachanov was tested in the early stages of his opening match, before charging to a 7-6(2), 6-1 victory against Mikhail Kukushkin. After recovering from a break down on two occasions in the first set, the 23-year-old dropped just one point behind his first serve in the second set (10/11) to complete the win after 90 minutes. Khachanov improves to 8-5 this season with his second victory in four appearances at the ATP 500 event.

“There were some difficult moments during the match,” said Khachanov. “I was a break down two times. That’s really great to keep that first set. I think it was [an] important one.”

The World No. 17 levels his ATP Head2Head series against Kukushkin at 1-1. The Kazakh beat Khachanov in the pair’s only previous tour-level ATP Head2Head clash at the 2014 VTB Kremlin Cup.

“It was not [an] easy opening match. Always first round is pretty tough… I’m really happy I could get the win,” said Khachanov. “I have another match, another opportunity to play better, like always, to improve.”

Khachanov advances to a second-round encounter against wild card Prajnesh Gunneswaran or Austrian qualifier Dennis Novak. The Russian is competing in the top quarter of the draw, which is headlined by World No. 1 and four-time champion Novak Djokovic.

No. 18 Cristian Garin (Career High), +7
The Chilean extended his winning streak to a personal-best nine matches to capture his second ATP Tour title in three weeks at the Rio Open presented by Claro. After lifting his third tour-level crown at the Cordoba Open, Garin continued to produce his best tennis in South America to beat Andrej Martin, Federico Delbonis, Federico Coria, Borna Coric and Gianluca Mager and claim his maiden ATP 500 crown.

Just 10 months ago, Garin did not own an ATP Tour trophy. The 23-year-old, who improves to 4-1 in tour-level finals, leaps seven positions to crack the Top 20 in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time at No. 18. Read More and Watch Highlights.

No. 39 Reilly Opelka, +15
As the fourth seed, Opelka became the fourth American champion in the past five editions of the Delray Beach Open presented by VITACOST.com. The 6’11” right-hander overcame two-time champion Ernests Gulbis, Mackenzie McDonald and Soonwoo Kwon to reach the semi-finals.

Due to rain, Opelka was forced to contest his semi-final on the same day as the championship match. The American saved match point against Milos Raonic in that contest, before completing double duty to take the title against Yoshihito Nishioka. Opelka climbs 15 spots to No. 39 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Read More.

View Latest FedEx ATP Rankings

No. 48 Yoshihito Nishioka (Career High), +15
The Japanese star reached his second ATP Tour championship match at the Delray Beach Open presented by VITACOST.com. Nishioka defeated fifth seed John Millman, Noah Rubin, Brandon Nakashima and sixth seed Ugo Humbert to reach the final. After his three-set loss to Opelka in the championship match, the 24-year-old jumps 15 places to a career-high No. 48 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

No. 77 Gianluca Mager (Career High), +51
Mager entered the Rio Open presented by Claro with just two tour-level victories to his name. But the Italian enjoyed a breakthrough week in Brazil, winning 12 of 13 sets from qualifying to reach his first ATP Tour final. En route to the championship match, Mager stunned Buenos Aires champion Casper Ruud and World No. 4 Dominic Thiem in straight sets. The 25-year-old soars 51 spots to a career-high No. 77 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Other Notable Movers
No. 28 Borna Coric, +4
No. 32 Milos Raonic, +5
No. 47 Alexander Bublik (Career High), +8
No. 60 Pablo Cuevas, -14
No. 61 Aljaz Bedene, -14
No. 65 Egor Gerasimov (Career High), +7
No. 67 Laslo Djere, -31
No. 69 Radu Albot, -18
No. 79 Attila Balazs (Career High), +27
No. 83 James Duckworth, -12
No. 89 Mikhail Kukushkin, -20
No. 94 Hugo Dellien, -16

A LOOK BACK
Morelos Open Credito Real (Morelos, Mexico): The same mantra goes for every player. Have a more professional attitude on the court, focus on what you can control and the results will likely follow. In 2019, Jurij Rodionov admitted that he strugged in that department. As the calendar flipped to 2020, those issues are long gone.

Armed with a more mature approach, the #NextGenATP Austrian is hitting his stride behind two titles in three weeks. Rodionov lifted the trophy in Morelos on Sunday, rallying from a set down in both the semis and final to take the title. He defeated Argentina’s Juan Pablo Ficovich 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 for the championship.

Rodionov entered the month of February outside the Top 350 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. But thanks to titles on the indoor hard courts of Dallas and outdoor hard courts of Morelos, he will vault to a career-high No. 172 on Monday.

The 20-year-old is the first player to win multiple titles in 2020, boasting a 12-1 mark since the start of February. He now owns three crowns in total, having lifted his maiden trophy in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 2018.

Challenger Banque Nationale de Drummondville (Drummondville, Canada): Sunday’s final in Drummondville was a meeting of former college standouts, as UCLA’s Maxime Cressy met Texas A&M’s Arthur Rinderknech for the title. What started with an extravagant pre-match light show and concert was capped by a Cressy triumph after two hours and six minutes.

The American became the last man standing after a marathon 6-7(4) 6-4, 6-4 win. He did not drop serve all week, riding his dominant delivery to victory. Cressy, who left UCLA to return to pro tennis in 2020, claimed his second Challenger crown. He previously prevailed in Cleveland a year ago.

“The first thing that went through my mind was that I didn’t get broken this week,” said Cressy. “That’s pretty cool and it never happened in my life. I’m super happy to win here. I battled through every single day, physically, mentally and emotionally. It was a rollercoaster this week. I’m just happy I fought through all of it.”

Cressy rises 61 spots to No. 191 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Koblenz Open (Koblenz, Germany): The future of Czech tennis has arrived. In September, Jonas Forejtek captured the US Open boys’ title, and on Sunday, countryman Tomas Machac triumphed for the first time on the ATP Challenger Tour. The Beroun native prevailed in Koblenz, defeating Botic Van de Zandschulp 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in one hour and 56 minutes.

Machac is the first teenage winner on the Challenger circuit this year and joins Rodionov as the only #NextGenATP champions (born 1999 or later). It also marks the first time a Czech teen has lifted a trophy since Jiri Vesely in 2013.

“I knew that it will be tough today, as our previous two matches [both won by Van De Zandschulp] were also very close,” Machac told Florian Heer of Tennis-TourTalk.com. “I was so nervous and I am really tired right now. It was really great to see that a lot of fans came to watch this match. It was special for me today and I am very happy.

“I will next get back to Prague to see my parents before heading for Trento, Italy, to compete in an ITF tournament. Then I will enjoy one week off, having some practice and rest.”

Machac was making just the ninth Challenger appearance of his young career, but the Czech was hitting top gear from first ball. He did not drop a set in reaching the final. Having entered the week just inside the Top 350 of the FedEx ATP Rankings, he is projected to soar nearly 100 spots to a career-high No. 251.

Trofeo Perrel – Faip (Bergamo, Italy): Government suspension of all sporting events in the Lombardy and Veneto regions of Italy, due to the coronavirus, forced the cancellation of the Bergamo final. Illya Marchenko and Enzo Couacaud split honours, with both receiving finalist points and prize money for the week.

Earlier in the week, 16-year-old Leo Borg, son of former World No. 1 and tennis legend Bjorn Borg, made his professional debut. He fell to Chun-hsin Tseng in straight sets.

A LOOK AHEAD
Last year, Jeremy Chardy launched a Challenger tournament in his hometown of Pau, France. Now, the Terega Open Pau-Pyrennes is back for a second edition. Jiri Vesely, Norbert Gombos and Sumit Nagal lead the field.

In 2018, Ivo Karlovic became the oldest champion in Challenger history, triumphing in Calgary, Canada. Seeded third, Karlovic is back as the tournament welcomes a second edition. Home hope Vasek Pospisil leads the pack.

And in Columbus, 10th seed Peter Polansky looks to retain his trophy. He is joined by leading men Christopher O’Connell, Marc Polmans and Cedrik-Marcel Stebe.

Thirteen of the Top 20 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings will be in action this week, spread across the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and the Chile Dove Men+Care Open in Santiago. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is competing in Dubai, and World No. 2 Rafael Nadal is in Acapulco.

DRAWS: ACAPULCO | DUBAI | SANTIAGO

Stream live on Tennis TV or watch on your local TV channel – see more information on the ATP Tour TV Schedule.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ACAPULCO
1) Rafa Going For No. 3: Top seed Rafael Nadal has won the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC twice, in 2005 and 2013. He will try this week to win a tour-level title for the 17th consecutive year. The Spaniard plays countryman Pablo Andujar in the first round.

2) Defending Champ: Nick Kyrgios went on a memorable run in Acapulco last year, including victories over Nadal and 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev. Kyrgios is 6-2 on the season, and he will play his first match since the Australian Open against 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals competitor Ugo Humbert.

3) FAA Has Momentum: Felix Auger-Aliassime reached his fourth and fifth ATP Tour finals in Rotterdam and Marseille in the past two weeks. The Canadian is still pursuing his maiden tour-level crown, and he will try to lift the trophy at this ATP 500 event. The #NextGenATP star, who is the fourth seed, will begin his tournament against lucky loser Alex Bolt of Australia.

4) Zverev Back Again: Could this be the year Zverev breaks through in Acapulco? Two years ago, he reached the semi-finals. Last year, he fell in the championship match. The second seed, chasing his 12th ATP Tour title, will try to get off to a good start to this edition of the tournament against qualifier Jason Jung.

5) Zverev Brothers In Doubles: Zverev and his brother, Mischa Zverev, won the Acapulco doubles title last year, and they are back to defend their trophy. The top seeds are Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah, the second seeds are Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo, and third seeds Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos are fresh off a title at the Rio Open presented by Claro.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN DUBAI
1) Novak Leads The Way: World No.1 and four-time Champion Novak Djokovic returns to Dubai for the first time since 2016 with a 13-0 record in 2020. Djokovic, fresh off leading Team Serbia to ATP Cup glory and winning a record-extending eighth Australian Open title, is the top seed at this event for the seventh time.

2) Stefanos Shining: Second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas arrives in Dubai after winning his fifth ATP Tour title last week in Marseille without dropping a set. It was the first time that the Greek has retained a tour-level title. Tsitsipas, the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion, reached the final in Dubai last year.

3) Titlists All Around: There have been 13 tour-level singles tournaments played so far this year, and six of them have been won by players in the Dubai draw. Djokovic (Australian Open), Andrey Rublev (Doha, Adelaide), Gael Monfils (Montpellier, Rotterdam, currently on a nine-match winning streak) and Tsitsipas (Marseille) are the 2020 champions in the field.

4) Musetti Magic: Lorenzo Musetti, 17, used his qualifying wild card well, winning both of his matches in straight sets to reach the main draw. He is the first player born in 2002 to qualify for an ATP Tour event. Musetti is the lone #NextGenATP player in the main draw.

5) Defending Champs The Top Seeds: Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury are the top seeds in the doubles draw, fresh off their Australian Open title. Ram and Salisbury earned their first trophy together in Dubai last year, and they did not drop a set. They will face a star-studded team in the first round in Djokovic and former singles World No. 3 Marin Cilic.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN SANTIAGO
1) Welcome Back, Chile: This is the inaugural edition of the Chile Dove Men+Care Open. Previously, Chile hosted another ATP Tour event in Santiago from 1993-2000 and 2010-11, and that same tournament was held in Vina del Mar from 2001-09 and 2012-14.

2) Home Favourite: Cristian Garin hopes to give home fans plenty to cheer about as the top seed. He grew up watching Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Massu at the tournament in Vina del Mar, and in 2013, he made an impressive tour-level debut at that event as a 16-year-old, defeating Dusan Lajovic to become the fifth player aged 16 years and under to win a tour-level match since 2000. Garin has won nine consecutive matches, lifting titles this year in Cordoba and Rio de Janeiro.

3) Ruud Rising: Casper Ruud will attempt to win his second title of the 2020 ‘Golden Swing’. The 21-year-old triumphed at the Argentina Open to become the first player from Norway to win an ATP Tour title. Ruud is the second seed.

4) Two Chilean Wild Cards: This ATP 250 has awarded home favourites Alejandro Tabilo and Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera wild cards into the main draw. Both men own one tour-level win, and Tabilo is at a career-high World No. 166.

5) Demoliner/Middelkoop Top Seeds: Marcelo Demoliner and Matwe Middelkoop are the top seeds in the doubles draw. They have won two ATP Tour titles together in the past four months, triumphing last October in Moscow and earlier this month in Cordoba.

Reilly Opelka had to overcome plenty of hurdles on Sunday, playing two matches against opponents — one 6’5” and the other 5’7” — with completely different game styles. But the 6’11” American literally and figuratively stood tall to win the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com title.

Opelka claimed his second ATP Tour trophy behind 27 aces with a 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-2 victory against Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka. Earlier in the day, the 22-year-old rallied past former World No. 3 Milos Raonic, saving a match point in the semi-finals to triumph 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3.

That match was postponed due to rain Saturday evening. However, Nishioka was able to finish his semi-final on Saturday, so he only needed to play one match on Sunday. Nothing could stop the big-hitting Opelka, though, as he defeated the 2018 Shenzhen champion after two hours and 10 minutes.

The fourth seed is the fourth American champion in Delray Beach in the past five years, with Moldovan Radu Albot being the exception last year. Opelka lifted his maiden ATP Tour trophy 53 weeks ago at the New York Open.

Opelka played Nishioka for the first time in their ATP Head2Head series last week in New York, winning that match 6-4, 6-4. In those indoor conditions, Opelka saved all four break points he faced. He was broken in Delray Beach, but he saved three of the four break points he faced, playing courageous tennis under pressure.

Opelka showed no fear of engaging in rallies with Nishioka, displaying great footwork for his height by playing dogged defence when needed. But he also went for his shots when balls sat up, and that paid dividends in key moments.

Opelka crushed a forehand at 6-5 in the opener to earn his third set point. And after playing plenty of defence on the forehand side, he hit a cross-court backhand passing shot that Nishioka couldn’t handle, sprinting to his chair and smacking his chest in celebration.

Nishioka was under pressure in the second set, needing to save three set points — Opelka faced none — but he hung around to force a tie-break, where his solid play helped him force a decider. The 24-year-old continued to make Opelka move, putting the American in awkward positions, which led to mistakes.

But a lapse of concentration in the first game of the third set proved deadly for Nishioka. He double faulted to give Opelka the break, and that was all the champion needed. Nishioka later missed a backhand down the line wide to give the home favourite a second break in the set, and Opelka finished off his win with his 27th ace.

Opelka adds 250 FedEx ATP Ranking points to his total and earns $97,585, while Nishioka leaves Florida with 150 points and $53,615.

Did You Know?
Opelka hit a total of 46 aces on Sunday, striking 27 against Nishioka and 19 against Raonic.