Medvedev, Nadal advance to second round at Mexican Open

By CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
AP Sports Writer

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Daniil Medvedev has beaten Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-4 to move into the second round at the Mexican Open. The 26-year-old Russian can replace Novak Djokovic at No. 1 in the men’s tennis rankings if he wins the title here. Medvedev, who won the 2021 U.S. Open and was a runner-up to Rafael Nadal last month at the Australian Open, is playing in Mexico for the first time. He’ll play either Alex Hernandez or Pablo Andujar in the next round. Nadal is likely the biggest roadblock for Medvedev. The 21-time major winner opened with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Denis Kudla.