The 2017 Los Cabos tournament is another ATP Tour stop on hardcourts in Mexico, now in its second year of existence. The main tour stop is the Acapulco tournament in late February and early March, just before Indian Wells. That is a 500-point tournament. This is a 250-point tournament, but it still holds value.
The competition in the 28-player main draw begins on Monday, July 31.
Event Details
Event: Abierto Mexicano Mifel Presented by Cinemex
Category: ATP 250 Series
Date: July 31 – August 5, 2017
Location: Delmar International School – Cabo Del Mar, Baja California Sur, Mexico
With a prize money allotment of roughly 543,000 Euros – just under $638,000 — this tournament has a higher number than the standard purse allotment of other ATP 250 events, which is at roughly 482,000 Euros. The main attraction of this tournament is not just the extra money, but its location near the Sheraton Hacienda Hotel near the Baja coast, a scenic and enjoyable tourist destination. Players who come here can bring their families for relaxation in a way they probably wouldn’t (or couldn’t) at other tour events. Even if they lose in the first round, they can take families on a multi-day vacation and build it into their schedules.
Points
Champion – 250
Runner-up – 150
Semifinal – 90
Quarterfinal – 45
Former Champions and Results (1 year)
2016 – Ivo Karlovic def. Feliciano Lopez – 7-6, 6-2
Player Info:
Tomas Berdych couldn’t get past Roger Federer but he still had a great Wimbledon, where he made his second consecutive semifinal. The tall Czech is 31-14 on the year but is still title-less. For a 250-level event, Los Cabos has a very competitive field. If Berdych plays the way he has been playing this year, he knows he can break the title drought. Will he?
Sam Querrey had a dream Wimbledon, where he got the best of injury-battling Andy Murray in five sets on his way to the semifinals. He has a scary serve and has improved his backhand immensely. Big Sam won his biggest title of his career earlier in the year by beating Rafael Nadal in Acapulco, but can he win in Los Cabos, where the field – though formidable – does not have Nadal or other legends?
Albert Ramos Vinolas had a decent Wimbledon, where he matched his best result by reaching the third round. However, in the following two clay court tournaments he played, he hasn’t done justice to his seeding. In Bastad, Ramos Vinolas was dismantled by Fernando Verdasco in straight sets in the quarterfinals. In Hamburg, the top-seeded Spaniard was upset in the opening round by lucky loser Leonardo Mayer. Ramos Vinolas won the first set but lost the second and then the deciding set in a tiebreaker.
Ivo Karlovic is 37 years of age but has been serving as accurately as he has ever been. Karlovic comes to Los Cabos as a defending champion but also on the back of two heartbreaking losses– Aljaz Bedene at Wimbledon in five sets and to Peter Gojowczyk in Newport in three tiebreak sets. Karlovic will have some happy memories from the inaugural edition of Los Cabos last year, but it’s going to be doubly difficult to defend his crown this year given the quality of the field.
Thanasi Kokkinakis has been really unfortunate with injuries. Last year, he played only one match on the ATP Tour after going under the knife in 2015. This year, Kokkinakis was robbed of four months of tennis action due to an abdominal strain.
At Queens, Kokkinakis claimed the biggest win of his career by defeating then-World No. 6 Milos Raonic in straight sets. The young Aussie then played at Wimbledon but lost in the opening round to Juan Martin del Potro in four sets. Kokkinakis is slowly getting back to full fitness and has accepted a wild card in Mexico.
Delmar International School
The expression “del mar” means “of the sea” in Spanish, a reference to this event’s seaside location in Los Cabos, part of the Baja region which is constantly trying to promote and develop its tourism to help the Mexican economy. This school is near hotels and other venues which make this event a magnet not just for local residents, but for tourists who want to mix sun and fun with their tennis. This is a hardcourt facility which can host nighttime tennis, putting semifinals and the final out of the broiling summer sun.
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