The first victory for Juan Martin del Potro in Acapulco took 11 years...
Even having to play an extra set, Del Potro can finally remove the Mexican Open from the list of tournaments in which he had no victories.
The Argentine defeated the American Frances Tiafoe 6-4, 3-6, and 7-6 (1) to advance to the second round in Puerto Vallarta, where he will face the Serbian Novak Djokovic.
It will be a rematch of the first round match of the Rio Olympics, in which the South American frustrated any chance of a medal for the then number one in the world.
Del Potro returned to Acapulco for the first time since 2006, seeking a victory that he had never achieved, after losing in the first round to the Spaniard Albert Montañés.
But Tiafoe was a tough opponent. Despite coming from the qualifiers, he was able to win a set and fight until the end.
Delpo did not have the best day, especially with his forehand, which he could not find throughout the match, nor with his serve, the weapon he relies on in matches like Tuesday's.
In the first set, the champion of the 2009 US Open quickly found the break, in the fifth game, to go up 3-2.
But the North American responded by taking advantage of Juan Martin's doubts with his serve, and quickly recovered the break to level at 3-3.
The match was played in a small area, as Tiafoe tried to attract his opponent to the net; however, the South American responded and broke again to go up 5-4, and then with a cross-court forehand, he won the set.
But in the second set, Frances took advantage of his opponent's doubts to get back into the match.
He broke immediately, in the second game, with a volley that even surprised the Davis Cup champion.
He went to the break with a 3-0 lead and real chances of taking the set.
As the episode unfolded, Tiafoe gained confidence, sought the angles, and hit shots that were indecipherable for Delpo.
The moment of truth came for the American and he did not fail, although the Argentine had a chance to break, Tiafoe held on to win the set.
The third set followed a similar script, with the Argentine making mistakes while his opponent remained inspired on the center court stage.
Although the set was more tense, the South American could not afford any errors and his adversary had nothing to lose.
With the score tied throughout the chapter, Del Potro had to resort to a tie-break to defeat Tiafoe, which he achieved with a forehand and his opponent's errors.
Juan Martin won 'in the Boca style,' as he likes to say, with guts, effort, and heart. Djokovic awaits him.
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