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The King of Clay, Rafael Nadal won the Mexican Open 2020 championship to narrow the gap between himself and the World No. 1, Novak Djokovic in the ATP Rankings. Nadal was the number one seed in the competition in Acapulco and he surprisingly faced an unseeded opponent in the final.
It is noteworthy that players like Alexander Zverev, Stan Wawrinka and Nick Kyrgios were a part of this competition however, Nadal faced only one seeded player enroute to the title. Here's a look at the glorious journey of the left-handed Spaniard in Acapulco.
Rafael Nadal's journey to his first title of the year
After not being able to win the new decade's first Grand Slam, Rafael Nadal was keen to capture his first singles title of the year. He began his Mexican Open campaign against compatriot Pablo Andujar in the first round. Andujar could only win 41 points in the entire match as Nadal knocked him out of the tourney with a 6-3, 6-2 win.
The World No. 2 player then went head to head with Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic. The Serb gave him a run for his money as he won two break points against Nadal. Unfortunately, he could not win a set in the match as Nadal beat him 6-2, 7-5 to progress further in Acapulco.
In the quarter-finals, Nadal clashed with the unseeded Korean player, Kwon Soon-woo. The Asian star did not trouble the left-handed player much as he bowed down to him with a 6-2, 6-1 defeat.
Nadal battled with the seventh seeded Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals. It was expected to be Nadal's toughest match of the tourney however, Dimitrov disappointed his fans with a lackluster performance. He could win only five games in the entire match as Rafa ended his campaign with a 6-3, 6-2 win.
The unseeded player from America, Taylor Fritz was Nadal's surprise opponent in the final as he had defeated compatriot John Isner and British star Kyle Edmund on his way to the final.
The 22-year-old player did not let his fans down as he fired 10 aces against Nadal. Although the final scoreline read 6-3, 6-2 in Nadal's favor, the American player showed that he possesses the potential to make it big.
It will be intriguing to see if Fritz can grow into a big name in the tennis universe. Besides, Nadal will be happy with his first major win of the season.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
