Two-time defending champion David Ferrer of Spain defeated local favourite Santiago Gonzalez 6-1, 6-2 to reach the second round of the Mexican Open on Tuesday. The top-seeded Ferrer, attempting to win his third title of the season, needed just over an hour to eliminate the Mexican player at the Fairmont Acapulco Princess. The sixth-ranked Spaniard saved all five break points he allowed to Gonzalez, and converted on four of his seven opportunities. Ferrer won the Copa Claro last week in Argentina, and had already won the title in Auckland, New Zealand in January.
Also Tuesday, number-two seed Nicolas Almagro beat fellow-Spaniard Pere Riba 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 and third-seeded Gilles Simon of France lost 6-7 (5), 3-6 to Carlos Berlocq of Argentina. It was the second consecutive tournament that Berlocq eliminated Simon after the Frenchman had lost in the second round of the Copa Claro last week in Argentina. “I played a great match and I’m happy with my performance today,” Berlocq said. “Last week I had played a perfect match against him. Today it was tougher because of the heat, which was incredible.” Sixth-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina retired with heat exhaustion while losing 6-7 (2), 3-5 to Albert Ramos of Spain. Albert Montanes of Spain also had to retire in his match against number-four seed Kei Nishikori of Japan, who was winning 6-2, 4-1. Eighth-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain needed 56 minutes to rout Filippo Volandri of Italy 6-0, 6-2. Swiss player Stanislas Wawrinka had ten aces in his 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory against Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain. Six of Wawrinka’s aces came in the decisive set. In the women’s side, top-seeded Roberta Vinci of Italy had eight aces in her 6-2, 7-6 (5) victory over Silvia Soler-Espinosa of Spain.
Fellow Italian Flavia Pennetta, the number-two seed, ousted Arantxa Parra Santonja of Spain 6-4, 6-2, while third-seeded Sara Errani, also of Italy, trounced American Irina Falconi 6-1, 6-1. The Mexican Open is the fourth ATP Tour 500 tournament of the season. Nine of the top 30 men in the world are playing.
