MORELOS/STARNBERG, April 10, 2024
The Mexican swing on the ATP Challenger Tour continues this week with the Morelos Open presentado por Metaxchange. The $82,000 hard-court event is being held at the complex of the Hotel Racquet Cuernavaca, located in an exclusive residential area just 10 minutes from the historic center of the city Cuernavaca, as well as the most important industrial and commercial area of the state of Morelos.
Mexican tennis´brightest young star, Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez, was out of this world at the Estadio Morelos on Tuesday, knocking out defending champion and World No. 90, Thiago Agustin Tirante of Argentina 7-5, 6-4. Tirante came to Morelos as champion of last week’s Mexico City Open, a ATP Challenger 125. In an epic match in front of a packed stadium, the 18-year-old wild card entry from Merida played the best tennis of his professional career to secure victory in one hour and 37 minutes.
Huge win for the hometown guy 🙌
World No. 675 Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez defeats 2nd seed Tirante to pick up a very impressive victory in the opening round of Cuernavaca!#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/of7gSXRps0
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 10, 2024
“It has been the best result of my career and we hope that little by little I continue to compete at this level and continue to have great results,” said World No. 675 Pacheco Mendez with great emotion after the titanic duel.
Rinky Hijikata of Australia, the top seed of the Morelos Open 2024 and current World No. 80 had to retire due to injury while trailing 5-7, 0-1 in his match at Estadio Morelos against Canadian Alexis Galarneau.
In other first-round action, Argentinian Facundo Mena defeated Tunisian Skander Mansouri 7-6, 6-2, while in the Australian showdown, Tristan Schoolkate beat qualifier Kiranpal Pannu 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, and US-American Aidan Mayo edged out Aussie Omar Jasika 7-6, 6-3.
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