At 37 years old and a massive 6'11", Croatian Ivo
Karlovic became the inaugural winner at the
Abierto Mexicano Mifel in Los Cabos. Where he beat top seed Feliciano Lopez of
Spain 7-6(5), 6-2 on Saturday.
"It was a difficult match in the beginning,"
said Karlovic. "He was playing really well. I was a little lucky at the
end of the first set, but that gave me confidence for the rest of the match. I
realised what he was doing and took my opportunities.
Karlovic will take home $128,200 in prize money and 250
Emirates ATP Rankings points. He is projected to rise three spots to World No.
21 on Monday.
Genaro Ruiz, head of tourism for BCS, stressed that the
extensive media coverage at local, national and international level has put Los
Cabos and Baja California Sur "in the eyes of the world”.
He acknowledged the excellent tournament organisation by
Pegasus Group. And he believes that tennis is now another high level sporting
event - along with fishing, golfing, surfing, cycling, marathon and triathlons -
that Los Cabos is perfectly positioned to offer the world.
And Cabo’s first ATP tennis champion certainly seems to
agree -"Everyone here has been fantastic - really nice to me. The venue is
unbelievable. And I definitely hope to come back next year."