Rafael Nadal takes on unseeded Sam Querrey in the title match of the ongoing ATP Mexican Open in Acapulco on Saturday (Sunday morning, Singapore time).
The second seed heads into the final after demolishing third seed Marin Cilic 6-1, 6-2 in just an hour and 23 minutes yesterday. Nadal now heads into his third title match in Acapulco and has never been baeten here or has he lost a set over his 14 matches.
Nadal, after his agonising defeat to Roger Federer in the five-setter final at the Australian Open earlier this year, has been in sublime form in the ongoing tournament, decimating lower-ranked opponents Mischa Zverev, Paolo Lorenzi and Yoshihito Nishioka and Cilic, enroute to the title match.
Nadal reportedly revealed that he is happy to have played his best over the last few days but is wary of Querrey, who is now the first American finalist in the tournament's history, despite having a 4-0 head-to-head advantage.
"I am happy with my focus in important moments, saving break points with good shots. I enjoyed the atmosphere here, so it is great for me to be in the final. Sam is playing great. He will be coming into the match with a lot of confidence," Nadal said, as quoted by ATP's official website.
Querrey, as Nadal acknowledges, will head into the match with a solid belief that he can stun the former as the world number 40, who had not gone past the third round in his earlier tournaments this year, outclassed higher-ranked players of the likes of David Goffin, Dominic Thiem and Nick Kyrgios to survive until Saturday.
TV Schedule
Singapore: Hub Sports 1
Malaysia: Astro SuperSport
Japan: TV Asahi
UK: Sky Sports
US: ESPN, Tennis Channel
Malaysia: Astro Supersport
Canada: TSN, RDS
Italy: Super Tennis
Portugal: Sport TV
