De Minaur is crowned at the 2023 Acapulco Open after beating Tommy Paul

Alex De Minaur struggles to defeat Tommy Paul in a three-set match in the final of the Abierto Mexicano Acapulco and won his first ATP 500 crown.

An unexpected final was witnessed at the Acapulco tournament between the seventh-seeded Tommy Paul and the eighth-seeded Alex De Minaur. In the semifinals, the 25-year-old American defeated world No. 5 Taylor Fritz in the third-set tiebreak with both players clearly exhausted. The 24-year-old Australian made a comeback to eliminate the young star Holger Rune and completed a day of surprises.

Paul got the first break in the fourth game and didn't give De Minaur any room to recover. With much confidence in his serve and with the help of his opponent's unforced errors, he was able to secure the set without major problems by 6-3. "Speed Demon" left behind the poor start he had, and despite having to fight in every service game, he came out ahead in the set thanks to a break in the 5-4 game. Slowly, Paul's frustration began to show against an opponent who reached every corner of the court. Alex De Minaur took the lead in the mental aspect and took advantage of that to go to the deciding set.

The Australian showed that he is one of the fastest-moving players on the circuit and impressively countered the world No. 23's drop shots. De Minaur took advantage of his opponent's frustration and the physical difference between them, as the American came from great wear and tear, especially in his last match with Fritz, the longest in Acapulco Open history.

De Minaur was immensely superior in the match's outcome and constantly made Paul run, who was increasingly physically and mentally diminished. With two breaks in his favor, he took the decisive set 6-1 and won the seventh trophy of his career. He achieved his first ATP 500 of his career, being far superior to his rival, and now prepares for his next challenge at the BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells.