The Mexican Open in Acapulco experienced a chaotic Wednesday, with the top five seeds exiting the tournament, several due to a sudden illness. Norway’s Casper Ruud withdrew before his match against qualifier Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez citing a “stomach illness.” Similarly, Denmark’s Holger Rune retired after only three games against American Brandon Nakashima, later confirming food poisoning on social media. American Tommy Paul, ranked 10th globally, also withdrew due to stomach issues before facing Marcos Giron.
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Adding to the turmoil, second-seed Alexander Zverev and Americans Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe suffered unexpected defeats. While it’s unconfirmed if they were affected by the same illness, their losses left the tournament wide open. Zverev’s loss to 19-year-old American Learner Tien marks another significant victory for the rising star, who previously defeated Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open. Despite a significant height and serve advantage, Zverev played passively and struggled against Tien’s strategic play, ultimately losing 6-3, 6-4.
Veteran David Goffin defeated Ben Shelton 7-6(3), 6-3, acknowledging the difficulty of the matches despite the illness affecting some players. Seventh-seed Frances Tiafoe lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a three-set match, 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3. These upsets leave only two seeded players in the tournament: eighth-seed Tomas Machac and ninth-seed Denis Shapovalov. Shapovalov defeated Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-3, while Machac beat Daniel Altmaier.
The widespread illness raises concerns for the upcoming ATP 1000 event at Indian Wells, starting next week. Casper Ruud, who suffered a parasitic infection at the French Open last year, will likely be extra cautious. The Mexican Open quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday, promising an exciting continuation of the tournament despite the unexpected shakeups.
