Acapulco, Mexico (AP) — There was no drama this time.
In a rematch of the five-set Australian Open final, Rafael Nadal defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-3 early on Saturday and qualified for the Mexican Open final, where he will play Cameron Norey.
A month ago in Australia, 35-year-old Nadal came down from two sets to beat Medvedev to win his record 21st Grand Slam singles title.
Nadal said, "Every match is different, I said yesterday there are different conditions and everything changes." "It was a different game, with a very exciting second (set) where I made very few mistakes."
Nadal is now 14-0 in the season and will look to secure his fourth title in Acapulco, where he is a fan favorite after winning the 2005, 2013 and 2020 titles.
No match: Nadal beat Medvedev in 2 sets in Acapulco
"After what happened in Australia this week means a lot, I was able to concentrate, it means I am mentally fine and that is important because tomorrow is a tough final," Nadal said.
"It's been a long career with more success than I could have imagined. Playing here is a gift I cherish and appreciate, I am grateful for these opportunities."
The Spaniard made a strong start to the match with a break in the fourth game of the first set that lasted 47 minutes.
Medvedev, who will be world number one on Monday, did better in the second set but missed 11 break points, seven of them in the fifth game that lasted 19 minutes.
"I don't think I played well today, my overall level in the match was not high enough to play against a guy like Rafa," Medvedev said.
"There's nothing I can take away from it, to be honest I need to change what I did today. I feel like I was losing some energy today."
Earlier in February, Norrie continued his hot streak by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4.
After losing all four of his matches in January, Nori is 10-1 in February and reached Mexico after winning the third ATP Tour title of his career at Delray Beach.
In Acapulco, sixth seed Nori equaled the biggest win of his career by defeating number four Tsitsipas.
"I served very well today, I really enjoyed the match, it's one of my best wins, I hope we can keep tomorrow alive", Norrie said.
Norrie took a service break to defeat Tsitsipas in the ninth game of the first and second sets.
Norrie's previous biggest career win was his defeat of Dominic Thiem, who was fourth in the ATP rankings, in the 2021 Lyon semi-final.