Ferrer Continues Strong 2015, Edges Nishikori to Take Home Acapulco Title

March 2, 2015 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

David Ferrer won the Abierto Mexicano Telcel title on Saturday, beating top-seeded Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-5 to win his fourth Acapulco title. The Spaniard improved his record thus far in 2015 to 18-1.

“I played my best match this week. For sure, I played very aggressive, without mistakes,” said Ferrer. “I’m very happy. To win here a fourth time is a dream. I tried to play my forehand to his forehand and with more energy. In important moments, he made more mistakes and I took my chances. I feel very confident with my tennis now. I’ve won three tournaments this year and we’ve only began the season.”

Ferrer has also won titles in Rio de Janeiro and Doha so far this year.

He got things going against Nishikori by opening up a 3-1 advantage in the opening set. With the break advantage on his side, Ferrer was able to split a pair of breaks with Nishikori, and then hold serve to finish the first frame.

He didn’t let up and raced out to a 3-0 advantage in the second set. Nishikori would earn the break back and notch the set at 4-4, and then again at 5-5. But Ferrer earned the decisive break to go up 6-5, and then held serve in the final game to close out the match in one hour and 49 minutes.

Ferrer took advantage of 40 unforced errors from Nishikori in a match that was relatively even from a statistic standpoint. The Spaniard was able to get the breaks in the crucial moments which allowed him to take home the title.

“There were too many unforced errors,” said Nishikori of his own play. “I tried to be aggressive but I was missing too much. Especially with this slower surface, he gets everything. I knew I had to step in a little more, but it wasn’t my day.”

Nishikori’s run to the final in Mexico bumped him up to fourth in the world, the highest ranking of his career. Ferrer moves up to eighth in the world.

The Spaniard also becomes the first player to win titles on clay (Rio de Janeiro) and hard courts in back to back weeks since Ivan Lendl in 1985. 


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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