MERIDA/STARNBERG, March 19, 2025
Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez made a commanding statement at the II Yucatan Open, securing the fastest victory on Tuesday in just 52 minutes.
Backed by a strong home crowd at the Lorenzo Molina Casares Stadium Court in Club Campestre, Pacheco Mendez demonstrated from the start that he was determined to deliver a win for his supporters—and he did so in dominant fashion, winning 6-0, 6-1.
The No. 7 seed of the ATP Challenger Tour 75 event quickly broke the serve of US-American Govind Nanda, who seemed overwhelmed by the relentless pace of the Mexican player. Despite a double fault in the second game, Pacheco Mendez maintained his focus and extended his lead with a powerful first serve that his opponent failed to return effectively.
Pacheco Mendez continued his dominance, breaking Nanda’s serve again and closing out the first set without dropping a single game. The second set followed a similar script, with Pacheco Mendez immediately breaking serve and racing to a 2-0 lead. Although Nanda finally managed to hold serve at 4-1, Pacheco Mendez remained in control, sealing the match with another break to secure his place in the second round.
Strong Start for Alex Hernández
It wasn’t an easy match, but Alex Hernandez adapted well to the playing conditions and kicked off his Yucatan Open campaign on the right foot.
On the stadium court, the local wild card entry defeated US-American Trey Hilderbrand, the top qualifier, in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.
After his win, Hernandez commented that he was waiting to find out his next opponent: “It could be Rodrigo (Pacheco), who I get along with very well. That would be a great match.”
Day One Highlights
The first match of the day at the Lorenzo Molina Casares Stadium Court featured an unusual moment when a swarm of bees briefly interrupted play. However, the focus quickly returned to the action as Australian Bernard Tomic defeated German Elmar Ejupovic in 6-0, 7-5.
Last year’s finalist, Argentina’s Juan Pablo Ficovich, made a strong start, overcoming US-American qualifier Karl Polling 6-4, 7-5. Currently ranked No. 162 in the world, Ficovich remains in solid form, not far from his career-best ranking of 125. The Argentine stated that while it was too early to make predictions, he hoped to go one step further this year after falling in the 2024 final to US-American Tristan Boyer.
More Notable Results
Sixth seed Dmitry Popko defeated Ecuador’s Andres Andrade 6-3, 6-4.
Eighth seed Enzo Couacaud of France took down Switzerland’s Kilian Feldbausch 6-3, 6-2.
US-American qualifier Joshua Sheehy edged out countryman Aidan Mayo in a hard-fought battle, 6-1, 1-6, 7-6.
Second seed Cristian Garin of Chile breezed past Colombian junior Miguel Tobon 6-2, 6-0 in just 53 minutes.
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