MEXICO CITY, April 10, 2018

Professional tennis has returned to Mexico City for the first time in 19 years. The capital of Mexico hosted the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC from 1993 to 1999 before the tournament was relocated to Acapulco in 2001. This week the players of the ATP Challenger Tour will compete at the inaugural CDMX Open. The $100,000 event is held on clay courts of the legendary Club Deportivo Chapultepec (CDCH).

Fourth seed Adrián Menéndez-Maceiras of Spain opened his title bid on Monday with a 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over Christopher Heyman from Belgium. The World No. 141 overcame a slow start into the match, hitting nine aces to prevail after one hour and 52 minutes. Menéndez-Maceiras awaits the winner of the all-Brazilian affair between Joao Souza and Guilherme Clezar.

Pedja Krstin won the battle with fellow Serbian Danilo Petrovic 6-3, 1-6, 6-4. The eighth favourite capitalized on four of his five break point chances to secure victory in one hour and 32 minutes. Next up for Krstin will be either Roberto Quiroz of Ecuador or Aldin Setkic from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Germany’s Jan Choinski also had a successsful start into the tournament, ralliyng past Ivan Nedelko from Russia 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. The 21-year-old from Koblenz won 76 per cent of his first service points and broke his opponent five times to advance in one hour and 42 minutes. Choinski will next play the winner of the match between No. 3 seed and Saturday’s Visit Panamá Tennis Cup champion Carlos Berlocq or US-American wild card entry Sebastian Korda.