First Day of Mexico City Open
In the first day of the main activity of the Mexico City Open, in its third edition, Mexican youngster Rodrigo Pacheco was eliminated 6-2, 7-5 by the No. 112 in the world, James Duckworth, in less than two hours in the Rafael Osuna Stadium.
The experience of being ranked 46th in the ATP ranking allowed the Australian to take a 4-1 lead in just 18 minutes against the local player, who had received a wild card from the tournament's organization in order to participate. Duckworth already had the advantage of the first set in 30 minutes, but Pacheco used his serve to make it 1-1 in the second set, motivated by the clear support of the national fans. His level evolved as he fought for every point until the end, managing to tie 5-5 with a memorable point. However, he ultimately couldn't extend it to a third set.
"I didn't feel my best, but I know the conditions were difficult. I hope to keep working and improving": Rodrigo Pacheco after being eliminated from the Mexico City Open
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The Challenger 125 unfortunately suffered notable dropouts due to the injury of another invitee, Frenchman Gael Monfils, and Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, who stated that he wouldn't travel for personal reasons. On the other hand, Adrian Marannino advanced to the Miami Masters' round of 16, so his visit to Mexico is in doubt.
This Monday also saw the record for the longest match in the tournament broken, with Maximillian Neuchrist and Benjamin Lock playing for 2 hours and 58 minutes. Colombian Nicolás Mejía, who entered with a wild card, along with Australian Bernard Tomic, advanced to the second round.