Acapulco 2022 scores, winners and recap: Rafael Nadal continues his winning streak in Mexico, defeats Denis Kudla in the first round

Rafael Nadal kicked off his campaign in Mexico with a straight-sets win over Denis Kudla on Tuesday.

Nadal was originally set to face Reilly Opelka in the first round, but the American withdrew prior to the start of the tournament. Kudla was then able to enter the tournament as a lucky loser.

Playing in this first match since winning a historic 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, the Spaniard was at his best from start to finish, sealing his 11th consecutive win of the season.

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Rafael Nadal vs Denis Kudla Score

The former World No. 1 defeated Denis Kudla 6-3, 6-2.

Nadal is a three-time champion at this tournament, winning his most recent title in 2020. He was also a runner-up in 2017.

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Rafael Nadal vs Denis Kudla winner

With his straight-sets win over Kudla, Nadal advanced to the second round, where he'll take on Stefan Kozlov. The American also managed to secure his place in the main draw as a lucky loser. In the first round, Kozlov upset Grigor Dimitrov in a match that lasted more than three hours.

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Rafael Nadal vs Denis Kudla recap

The Spaniard remains undefeated this year so far.

Nadal was the first to serve and started the match with a commanding hold. He held a couple of break points on Kudla's serve in the next game, but the American managed to hold on.

After another comfortable hold of serve from the Spaniard, he got the breakthrough he needed. Nadal secured a break of serve in the fourth game of the set to take a 3-1 lead. He maintained this advantage until the end of the opening set to clinch it 6-3.

The former World No. 1 was even more dominant in the second set. Kudla managed to hold serve in the opening game of the set, but Nadal won the next five games to race to a 5-1 lead.

The American ended the skid with another hold for 5-2, but it was too little too late. Nadal ended the match as he had started it, with a dominant hold.

Overall, the Spaniard put in an excellent performance. He didn't face a single break point, fired eight aces and hit zero double faults. Nadal also won a whopping 96% of his first-serve points.

He will square off against Stefan Kozlov in the second round on Wednesday. This will be their first ever meeting on the ATP tour. Considering his form this year, it's likely to be another straightforward win for the Spaniard.