ACAPULCO, Feb 23: Third-ranked Alexander Zverev was thrown out of the Mexican Open for violently smashing his racket on the umpire’s chair moments after losing a doubles match.
The incident took place after Zverev and Marcelo Melo lost to Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara 6-2, 4-6, 10-6 on Tuesday night in Acapulco.
Zverev struck the umpire’s chair three times, sat for a moment, then got back up and yelled at the umpire that he “destroyed the whole (expletive) match” and struck the chair once more with his racket as the umpire climbed down. The umpire had pulled his feet back at one point for fear of being hit.
Earlier, Daniil Medvedev continued his pursuit of the No. 1 ranking with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Benoit Paire to move into the second round. The 26-year-old Russian can overtake Novak Djokovic for the top spot in the men’s rankings if he wins the title here. He next plays Pablo Andujar, who beat Alex Hernandez 6-0, 6-1.
The biggest challenge for Medvedev in Mexico could be fourth-seeded Nadal, who opened with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Denis Kudla. Nadal, who has won titles in Acapulco in 2005, 13 and ‘20, next faces Stefan Kozlov on Wednesday. (AP)
