Tomas Machac capped off a milestone week at the Acapulco Open by beating Alejandro Fokina Davidovich to clinch his first ATP title.
The 24-year-old held his nerve throughout a close opening set before claiming a 7-6(6), 6-2, victory over his Spanish rival, who was also aiming to win his maiden Tour title. During the final, the first 16 games saw no breaks of serve before Machac finally got his breakthrough midway through the second frame. After that, he won three games in a row en route to victory.
“The emotions right now are just relief, because it was a tough week. Especially when I have this form, I don’t like to lose in the final,” said Machac, who won 37 out of 39 points behind his first serve.
“I’m really happy that I managed to win today because Alejandro was playing really, really good. It was a tough battle.
“I was serving really well. I think without the serve today, I don’t think [it would’ve] been two sets.”
Machac, who also beat Learner Tien and Brandon Nakashima earlier in the tournament, will make his top 20 debut on Monday after winning the ATP 500 event. He is only the third Czech player to win a tournament in this category since it was introduced in 2009. Following in the footsteps of Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych. He is also the first player born in 2000 or later to win the trophy in Acapulco.
As for Davidovich Fokina, his hunt for silverware continues. It is the third time he has lost in a Tour final and the second time this season. Earlier this year at the Delray Beach Open, he was leading Miomir Kecmanović 5-2 in the final set of the title match but ended up losing.
“Congratulations for your first title,” Davidovich Fokina told Machac after their match. “I don’t know how you feel right now, I never won a title, but for sure it feels amazing.”
Coming into the Mexico final, Machac was the highest-ranked player on the Tour without a title of any sort. He credits his coach, Daniel Vacek, for helping him end his trophy drought. 53-year-old Vacek is a former top 30 singles player and three-time Grand Slam champion in doubles.
“I told [my coach] two weeks ago that I struggle sometimes with the big matches and I don’t know how to manage these situations… So I will try to speak more often,” he said.
Machac will be ranked 20th in the PIF ATP rankings on Monday.
