Los Cabos, Baja California Sur (OEM-Informex).- On the second day of the Mifel Los Cabos 2022 Tennis Open, the name of Mexico was mentioned, after the triumph of Alex Hernández, the first Mexican to access in second place in the tournament which has been taking place since 2016 in singles.
Hernández, 23, beat Colombia’s Nicolás Barrientos 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 20 minutes in a thrilling game that opened up activity at the Cabo Sport Complex’s main stadium.
On his ATP 250 debut in Los Cabos, the Mexican found himself with a match in which he went from under to over against Barrientos, who reached the main draw as a lucky loser.
“I still have a lot of emotions, it’s something I still have to digest. I’ve dreamed about it since I was a kid and I’m making it happen,” Hernández said after the win, the most important of his career so far.
“I struggled, the race was long and I continue to fight every day. The public helped me a lot. They helped me to have confidence, I am very grateful to them for pushing me to go further,” he added.
With his victory, Hernandez ended a 26-game losing streak for the Mexicans in ATP Tour and Grand Slam singles matches following the match between Mexicans Santiago Gonzalez and Daniel Garza which was played in the first round of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco in 2011.
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In the second round, the Mexican will face the Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, world n°9 and second seed. The Mexican came from behind in a game that after the first quarter seemed more than impossible.
Con su triunfo, Hernández broke a racha de 22 años, ya la última ocasión que un mexicano consiguió una victoria en la ATP, frente a un tenista no nacido en México, fue en el año 2000, cuando Alejandro Hernández derrotó al italiano Laurence Tieleman en Mexico City.
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