Rafa Nadal suffered a shocking loss to Sam Querrey in the Mexican Open final on Saturday.
Querrey had defeated four higher-ranked tennis stars on the way to the final but Nadal was widely expected to end the impressive run by beating him in the final. However, Querrey humbled the Spain international 6-3, 7-6 (3) using a strong serve.
Querrey becomes the first American to lift the Mexican Open in the history of the tournament – but it is the ninth of his career. Querrey had to overcome fifth seed David Goffin, fourth seed Dominic Thiem, and six seed Nick Kyrgios before ousting Nadal in the final. It was an impressive feat for the American as it is his first tournament victory since his exploits in Delray Beach last year.
Querrey was just outstanding at the tournament. Even though Nadal was not at his best, he tried to put up a decent performance but it was too late to stop the rally. His serves were just top notch on the night.
Nadal is not expected to feature in the game against Serbia on April 7-9 as he says his body needs rest. The Grand Slam champion wants more time out after featuring in the Australian Open, with Indian Wells and Miami in line.
He says he wants to focus more on Monte Carlo and Roland Garros. The Spaniard seems keen on lifting a Grand Slam this year since his last three years ago. He already withdrew from Rotterdam and he is expected to pay fewer tournaments this year.
On the women’s wing, world no. 50 Lesia Tsurenko claimed her third career title after she defeated second seed Kristina Mladenovic 6-1, 7-5. Tsurenko only won her first title last year in Guangzhou but the Ukraine international seems keen on quickly claiming more titles.