Medvedev’s Path To No. 1 In Acapulco May Run Through Nadal

Daniil Medvedev controls his own destiny in his bid to overtake Novak Djokovic atop the ATP Rankings, knowing a title in Acapulco would see him rise to World No. 1.

Now the Russian also knows his potential path to the trophy, following the release of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC draw.

Medvedev will open against France’s Benoit Paire in the 32-player draw, with seventh seed Taylor Fritz lurking in his quarter and fourth seed Rafael Nadal a potential semi-final opponent. 

It would be a sixth ATP Head2Head meeting between Medvedev and Nadal, with the Spaniard leading the series 4-1 after his historic five-set comeback in the Australian Open final. Nadal is seeking to continue his perfect start to the 2022 season in Acapulco. The World No. 5 is 10-0 on the year, a trophy at the Melbourne Summer Set preceding his record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title.

Alexander Zverev, the draw’s second seed, opens against American Jenson Brooksby, while third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas faces Laslo Djere. Matteo Berrettini, Cameron Norrie and Pablo Carreno Busta round out the eight seeds in the Mexican ATP 500 event, with Great Britain’s Norrie taking on Carlos Alcaraz in a first-round blockbuster.

Here are all the scenarios in which Medvedev would climb to World No. 1 on 28 February:

• Medvedev wins the Acapulco title, regardless of Djokovic’s results in Dubai
• Medvedev reaches the Acapulco final and Djokovic does not win the Dubai title
• Medvedev reaches the Acapulco semi-finals and Djokovic does not reach the Dubai final
• Medvedev reaches the Acapulco quarter-finals and Djokovic does not reach the Dubai semi-finals
• Medvedev reaches the second round in Acapulco and Djokovic does not reach the Dubai semi-finals
• Medvedev loses in the first round in Acapulco and Djokovic does not reach the Dubai quarter-finals

Defending Champ Garin Leads Santiago Draw
Cristian Garin occupies the top line of the Chile Dove Men+Care Open draw in his native Santiago. The home favourite shares the top half with fourth seed Pedro Martinez, and could face compatriot and tournament wild card Alejandro Tabilo in the second round.

Second seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas and third seed Federico Delbonis headline the draw’s bottom half. Chilean wild card Nicolas Jarry is also in the bottom section, giving the host nation at least three men in the draw before any potential qualifiers.