Revisiting all of Rafael Nadal's 3 Acapulco titles
Rafael Nadal overwhelmed young American Taylor Fritz in straight sets to lift his third title at the Acapulco Open. This was Nadal's third title in Acapulco, and he joined compatriot David Ferrer as the only players to win the tournament on both clay and hardcourt.
Having already suffered three defeats (twice at the ATP Cup, one at the Australian Open) last month, Nadal turned around a rather underwhelming start to the 2020 season by lifting his 85th singles title in Mexico. In one of his most emphatic performances at a hardcourt tournament, Nadal dropped only 25 games to win his 22nd title on the surface.
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In five straight-set wins, the Spaniard produced identical 6-3 6-2 wins over compatriot Pablo Andujar in the first round, Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals and Taylor Fritz in the final to become one of three players to win Acapulco at least 3 times, the others being David Ferrer (4) and Thomas Muster (4).
On that note, let us have a look at the three occasions Nadal was the last man standing in Acapulco.
#1 2005: Beats Albert Montanes 6-1, 6-0
In his first appearance at Acapulco, back in 2005, Nadal reeled off successive straight-sets wins over compatriots Alex Calatatrava and Santiago Ventura in his first two matches.
Following a pair of straight-set wins over Argentines Guillermo Canas and Mariano Puerta, Nadal conceded only one game in a lopsided final against compatriot Albert Montanes, to lift his first title at the tournament.
It was the then teenager's third title of his career and second of a career-best 11 titles of the season which saw him win his maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros - an event he would win on another 11 occasions.
Incidentally, Nadal left this trophy in a rental taxi while on his way to the airport and never found it again, as he revealed years later.