The Mexican Open faced a setback on Wednesday as food poisoning led to several top-seeded players withdrawing before or during their matches.
Casper Ruud and Tommy Paul were unable to compete in their last-16 matches, allowing their opponents to advance to the quarter-finals without playing.
Meanwhile, fourth seed Holger Rune managed only three games before retiring, later confirming that he, too, was affected by food poisoning.
“Furious and so sad at the same time. Had a food poisoning and was unable to play today,” the 21-year-old tweeted.
“One of my favorite places is Mexico and I love this tournament @AbiertoTelcel . Absolutely not the way I wanted it to end.”
Third-seeded Tommy Paul withdrew from the Acapulco tournament due to stomach issues, while World No. 5 Casper Ruud revealed he had been dealing with an illness for the past day.
Sharing the news on Instagram, the three-time Grand Slam finalist wrote, “I’m so sorry I had to pull out tonight.”
“I was hoping to overcome this stomach illness that showed up yesterday and tried everything I could to be able to play tonight, until the very last moment.”
The tournament saw more big names exit on Wednesday, as top seed Alexander Zverev was upset in straight sets by teenage qualifier Learner Tien. Reports suggested Zverev may have also been affected by food poisoning.
Rising American talent Alex Michelsen fell to Denis Shapovalov in three sets, calling for a trainer during the match due to what appeared to be an illness.
Meanwhile, fifth seed Ben Shelton was eliminated by David Goffin, though his loss was not believed to be illness-related.
Following the wave of withdrawals and upsets in Acapulco, organizers of the MGM Rewards Slam exhibition in Las Vegas postponed this weekend’s men’s event. Zverev, Ruud, and Paul, who were all scheduled to compete, are now thought to be dealing with food poisoning. Taylor Fritz was also in the lineup but had already pulled out earlier in the week due to an abdominal injury.
The four top players were originally set to face off in Las Vegas on Sunday, but a new date for the event has not been announced. However, the MGM Rewards Slam women’s match between Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka will still take place on Saturday.
