The ATP 500 event in Acapulco had its last words having Rafael Nadal (6 ATP) and Sam Querrey (40 ATP) as the designated characters. The centre court in Acapulco was jam-packed with Nadal's enthusiast fans. All clues pointed towards The Spaniard being successful. Querrey chose this particular day to make one more memorable match after his last year's amazing performance at Wimbledon when he sent Djokovic home. The American needed only 2 set in order to dispatch a flawed Nadal.
Nadal was caught by surprise
Entering the match, Rafael Nadal was clearly the favourite as all 4 previous clashes were on Nadal's back pocket.
But this time, the wheel went on the opposite side as the 29-years-old American was on top of the game. The opening set's first rallies were a preview of the storm that was about to begin. By putting in a brutal first service, Querrey left few options for Nadal. What put the American in front was a matter of consistency rather than inspirational tennis. In the 8th game of the set, the Spaniard served for a 4-4 result, but he ended up being broken. Some unforced errors combined with some bullets down the line from the American corner left Nadal to dry out as Querrey walked away with the set 6-3. The 2nd act went on a knife edge for most of its part. In the 8th game, it was Nadal with a handful of break points which he failed to convert.
Throughout the set, from time to time, despite being in a defensive position, Querrey unloaded some dazzling shots with his irresistible forehand down the line tearing Nadal's pace into pieces. Nadal and Querrey went on a tie-break where the American sealed his first title in Acapulco, becoming the first American to win this ATP event.
Nadal will stick around
This month, with Indian Wells and Miami as the main targets for the vast majority of ATP players, Nadal will try to improve his ranking. By the end of march, he could be back in the top 3 ATP. Last year, the North American outdoor swing was nothing but prolific for the Spaniard. Acapulco was the first test since the Aussie Open, a test he barely passed judging by his latest performance.