ACAPULCO NEWS & NOTES
*2024 marked the first time since 2020 that the top two seeds made the Acapulco final. (2)Nys-Zielinski defeated (1)Gonzalez-Skupski in straight sets as 2.13 (+113) underdogs in the final. That was the fourth straight year that a slight underdog won the championship match and that the result came in straights. The last super tie break finish was 2020 when Kubot-Melo knocked off Cabal-Farah 7-6, 6-7, 11-9.
*Overall, underdog wins were scarce last year in Mexico with only three of the 15 matches going to the dogs. The “biggest” of those wins was 2.20 (+120) in the opening round. As that would suggest, the three seeds who were in the draw to start (one withdrew), all went through to the semifinals. That was a stark contrast to the previous two runs in Acapulco, where just one seed made the semifinals each year. The underdog win tally in those two years combined was 12.
*The top seeded pair in Acapulco has not won the titles since 2017 when Murray-Soares did the trick. There have been three unseeded champions in the last four years. Last year ended a string of three straight unseeded champions. You can put it down in stone that at least one semifinal slot will go to an unseeded team. 2009 was the last time that all four seeds made the last four in Acapulco.
*Super tie break finishes made up a third of the results in 2024. Five STBs were needed to settle matches with three in the opening round and two in the quarterfinals. That equaled the 2023 tally, but was well below the 2022 outbreak when eight matches featured super tie break endings. There have been seven or more STBs in three of the last five runs in Acapulco.
*This year’s seeded field features three regular pairs and a “one-off” pairing. That one-off I guess is technically a “two-off” with Jackson Withrow and Horacio Zeballos teaming up for the second time this year due to injuries to their regular partners. They played Delray Beach together and lost their lone match there in a super tie break. Rounding out the seeds are Gille-Zielinksi, Nys-ERV and Doumbia-Reboul. Only Doumbia-Reboul have previous experience together at this tournament with a 3-2 record in two trips. They made the semifinals in 2024.
THE UNSEEDED MENACES
With a trend of unseeded teams winning the championship in Acapulco in recent times, it will certainly pay to look at the unseeded pairs this week. Here’s the ones that stick out to me.
Arends-Johnson
They are 8-6 in 2025, but do arrive on a three match losing skid. Being competitive is not a problem for this pair though with those three losses all coming in super tie breaks. That does include two opening round losses though, so that’s the big question for them as they are set to battle (3)Nys-ERV in round one. Nine of their 14 matches have required a deciding set or super tie break, so expect it to be close and an early win could propel them into title contention.
Harrison-King
Harrison-King will be DANGEROUS if they make it into the main draw. Their last two tournaments have yielded a title run in Dallas and a finals appearance in Delray Beach. They are playing in the qualifying match tonight for a spot in the main draw against Gomez-Pacheco. If they win, they get slotted in against Hijikata-Shelton. That’s a winnable match against two talented players, but a pair that have yet to play a match together.
Behar-Galloway
This is an experienced pair that has rarely been overmatched in 2025. They might have only six wins in eleven matches, but the losses have all been tight. Two of those last three losses were to the same pair, Harrison-King. Don’t forget this is a pair that made the Tokyo final last Fall when they were teaming up for just the second time. They’ve got the ability, so they should not be overlooked.
Krajicek-Ram
The Americans have yet to take off in 2025 as a new full-time pairing with a 5-4 record. Their loss in Rio was their lone opening match loss out of four fournaments played. We know the pedigree of these two with their silver medal finish at the Olympics last year and wins in Davis Cup play. Sooner or later, the results will come at the ATP level. Could this be the week? Machac-Mensik won’t be easy in round one.
Goransson-Verbeek
They had a tough luck loss in qualifying in Doha in a super tie break against Nouza-Rikl that prevented them from continuing their streak of semifinal finishes. They had made the semis back to back in Melbourne and Marseille prior to that loss. They could get another stab at Gille-Zielinski this week if both duos win their openers. Gille-Zielinksi won indoors 7-6, 6-3 in the Marseille semifinals in their first meeting. I feel like they’re a team that few seeds like to see in their portion of a draw these days.
ONE AND DONE WATCH
There are a few intriguing openers for seeds this week, so I do think the upset alert can be sounded for the following:
(2)Gille-Zielinski
As great as this pair was indoors in Europe with back-to-back finals runs, the shift outdoors could compromise that momentum. They were just 2-2 outdoors before the shift inside. They have only dropped their opener once and that was their team debut in Adelaide, so it’s probably a tough ask still for Balaji/Reyes-Varela in round one. Still, those two have been very competitive, including a 13-11 super tie break loss to Heliovaara-Patten in the Australian swing. I think this one could be tight and you never know if you get into a super tie break. Gille-Zielinksi are just 2-2 in matches needed a deciding set or STB in 2025.
(3)Nys-ERV
They draw Arends-Johnson, probably the toughest opener for any of the seeds. The French duo have been steady in 2025 with quarterfinal or better finishes in all tournaments played. They have not dropped an opener yet, so that is a big plus in this situation. Given Arends-Johnson’s propensity to push all their opponents hard, I’d at least expect a super tie break to be needed if the French survive round one.
(4)Doumbia-Reboul
The French are 11-7 this year and have played Acapulco twice without dropping their opener. They play a pair of singles players from Italy in Bellucci-Cobolli. Neither Italian has played much in doubles this year. In fact, this is Bellucci’s doubles debut for 2025. He did play 13 matches last year, mostly at Challengers, and did win a title. It seems fairly doubtful that they’ll step up in this spot, but the French arrive with losses in four of their last five. They need to dig themselves out of that rut.
Click DRAW PREVIEW to see the doubles draw in Acapulco
TOP HALF
The first quarter may wind up being an interesting watch with Withrow-Zeballos as the seeded pair. There is talent in the unseeded pairs here, but the wins have really only found one of them. That’s Behar-Galloway who own a modest 6-5 record, but that does include a finals run in Dallas. Three of their five losses have been in deciding sets or STBs and the other two had three tie breaks sets out of four played. Erler-Frantzen will be their foes in round one. That pairing has been together for a few weeks with a 2-3 record. That includes losses in two of three openers. As for top seeds Withrow-Zeballos, they get Gonzalez-Miedler. That new 2025 pairing has gone 2-6 so far. That includes three straight opening match losses and opening losses in four of their last five overall. It’s hard to pick them getting to together, but they could have an opportunity with Withrow-Zeballos short on experience together.
The second quarter looks like a banger in waiting with (3)Nys-ERV as the seeds. The French will play Arends-Johnson to start. Banger #1. The other match in this quarter could be intriguing as well with a qualifying spot still open. The survivor or Harrison-King and Gomez-Pachecho tonight will square off with Hijikata-Shelton. Hijikata continues to play plenty of doubles with Shelton being his fourth partner already in 2025. He’s only lost one opener, but Shelton has only played one doubles match. I’d give the edge to Harrison-King IF they get in through qualifying. If it’s Gomez-Pacheco, you’d have to keep your eyes on them after a big win. Hijikata-Shelton will be a real X-factor here as you don’t know how they’ll mesh. As such, I think you can make a case for any of these four pairs having a realistic shot of making the semifinals. I tend to think the Nys-ERV/Arends-Johnson survivor will have a little bit of a leg up on the others, but it’s hard to go against Harrison-King of late.
Can you find a firm favorite in this half? I don’t think so. I think it’s wide open and there are very few pairs who you’d totally rule out making a run. Harrison-King are the ones I’m keeping my eye on if they get into the main draw. They have sleeper potential for sure.
My Favorite: Behar-Galloway
My Sleeper: Harrison-King/Arends-Johnson
BOTTOM HALF
This third quarter looks like it will start with a real cracker between Krajicek-Ram and Machac-Mensik. The young Czech pair have just one match of play together in Davis Cup action. They haven’t faced anyone the likes of the two American veterans, so it’s certainly edge to Krajicek-Ram in round one. It might get a little wild though with the Americans having played three straight matches that finished with super tie breaks (1-2). It will also be interesting with Machac battling Mensik in singles to start. How or will that affect their chemistry? On the other side of the bracket, it’s (4)Doumbia-Reboul against Italian “singles pair” Bellucci-Cobolli. Doumbia-Reboul have maintained one of the busiest schedules in doubles with an 11-7 record in eight tournaments played. The French duo has dropped four of their last five, but does have the experience advantage in Acapulco. I’d be mildly surprised if the Italians grab the win, but losing skids can even the playing field. Krajicek-Ram may find the juice to get through this quarter and get themselves going.
The final quarter pits (2)Gille-Zielinski against Balaji/Reyes-Varela to open. I really like what Gille-Zielinski have shown so far in 2025, but tennis is always about proving yourself every week. The opposition here is anything but a pushover type of tandem. I think we’ll see a competitive starter, but I do think Gille-Zielinski have the confidence right now to find the win column. For me, they’re the strongest seed in the field. The winners get either Goransson-Verbeek or Hach Verdugo-Tracy. Hach Verdugo plays his home tournaments in Mexico each year and seems to find a way to be competitive no matter who he pairs up with. Remember that he made the semis here with John Isner a few years ago and won the titles in Los Cabos back in 2021 with Isner. He’ll be pumped up, but I still think Goransson-Verbeek are the better pair. You can’t count them out in this draw.
Gille-Zielinksi to me are the seeds more likely to make a title run. Their form is superb outside of not being able to win finals the last few weeks. That said, Goransson-Verbeek and Krajicek-Ram could present huge hurdles to getting to another final. Acapulco to me looks like it might fall into another year where the unseeded pairs make big noise. Krajicek-Ram are the ones I’m watching here to fill that role with 1b going to Goransson-Verbeek.
My Favorite: Krajicek-Ram
My Sleeper: Goransson-Verbeek
CLOSING TIME
The one seed that is a bit of a puzzle is Withrow-Zeballos. The top seeds haven’t played enough together to really know what they’re capable of together. Acapulco has not been kind to top seeds, so perhaps it doesn’t matter. I really look at this field and I see some good depth amongst the unseeded pairs. Given their recent run of success here in Mexico, I think it makes some sense to focus on those pairs as real contenders this week. For me, Krajicek-Ram stand out and I also think Behar-Galloway could make waves. I also think Arends-Johnson are an upset away from taking off early and perhaps running through this draw. I’ll be watching the final qualifying match closely as well because Harrison-King automatically join that group of capable unseeded pairs if they earn their way into the main draw. Gille-Zielinski still stick out as the seeds with the best chance for me, but even they have some tough teams to get through.
PIGPIX
Krajicek-Ram
Behar-Galloway
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