Novak Djokovic wins opener, faces Del Potro next in Acapulco

Novak Djokovic wins his opener at the 2017 Mexican Open in Acapulco, Mexico. The win moves him into a match with Juan Martin del Potro.

Novak Djokovic is back in the win column.

The Serbian tennis star is playing in his first competitive ATP singles tournament since the 2017 Australian Open. He did play for team Serbia in the Davis Cup, but Acapulco marks his return to the ATP World Tour.

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Djokovic wins his opening match over Martin Klizan.

This week is the Serbian’s debut at the tournament in Acapulco. After an early exit at Melbourne Park, Djokovic would do well to advance deep into the Mexican Open. While he is the top seeded player, the field is stacked with some of the best in men’s singles tennis.

Djokovic defeats Klizan in straight sets, winning 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).

Other top seeded players, including both Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem, won their opening matches on Tuesday. Marin Cilic, the tournament’s No. 2 seed also won his opening match on Monday. A major early upset went to American tennis player Jack Sock, who lost his opening match to Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan. The American won the first set before dropping the next two. The loss ends Sock’s fantastic streak of tennis to start his 2017 season.

Novak Djokovic remains the favorite in Acapulco.

The Serbian’s next match is against Juan Martin del Potro. He is 11-4 against the world No. 32. Djokovic will be eager to win, however, as their most recent meeting went in favor of Del Potro. The Argentine won in straight sets at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

Stay tuned to see how the world No. 2 fares in Acapulco this week.

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