David Ferrer Wins the Mexican Open in Acapulco

(Acapulco, AN 28 February) The 7,500-seat stadium was filled to capacity to watch Spaniard David Ferrer win the Mexican Open Tennis Tournament on Saturday night, defeating countryman Nicolas Almagro in three sets. The venue was center court at the Fairmont tennis center near the Acapulco Princess and Pierre Marques hotels in Acapulco’s Diamond Zone. This was Ferrer’s second straight victory at the Mexican Open. After winning, Ferrer received a wide-brimmed Mexican hat (or “charro”) and thanked the local crowd for the support they had given him and to all his colleagues at the tournament. He concluded by saying “Speak well of Aca” (“Habla Bien de Aca”), echoing the phrase of the private sector initiative to counteract the negative press, much of which is seen as sensationalist and unjustified.

Already competitor cities are trying to have the tournament moved to their venues in the coming year, spreading rumors, and local authorities are averring that the tournament will return to Acapulco next year. In truth, that decision is several months away. Meanwhile, the foreign press, ignorant of local facts, keep harping on the violence theme. For example, one web source, AFP trumpeted “13 dead as tournament opens,” without clarifying that the slum violence is worlds apart from the tennis venue. In fact, more people were murdered in Los Angeles during the Oscars weekend than in Acapulco during the same period, but that is not considered newsworthy.