Acapulco 2022 final: Rafael Nadal vs Cameron Norrie preview, head-to-head and prediction | Abierto Mexicano Telcel

Match Details

Fixture: (4) Rafael Nadal vs (6) Cameron Norrie

Date: 26 February 2022

Tournament: Abierto Mexicano Telcel 2022

Round: Final

Venue: Acapulco, Mexico

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $1,832,890

Match timing: Not before 9 pm local time, 3 am GMT, 8.30 am IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Tennis TV

Rafael Nadal vs Cameron Norrie preview

Nadal will be aiming for his third title of 2022

Fourth seed Rafael Nadal will take on sixth seed Cameron Norrie in the final of the Mexican Open on Saturday. This will be the first time since 1995 that two left-handed players will compete in the title clash in Acapulco.

Nadal has enjoyed an incredible start to 2022. The Spaniard won the Melbourne Summer Set without dropping a single set and followed it up by winning the Australian Open for his 21st Grand Slam crown.

The Spaniard has continued his fine form in Acapulco. Seeded No. 4, the Spaniard reached the semifinals after beating Americans Denis Kudla, Stefan Kozlov and Tommy Paul.

Nadal then beat Daniil Medvedev for the second time in a month to advance to his third final of the year and improve to 14-0 for the season.

Cameron Norrie, on the other hand, had a dismal start to 2022 as he lost his first four matches. This included a first-round exit at the Australian Open.

The Brit reached the quarterfinals of the Rotterdam Open after defeating Ugo Humbert and Karen Khachanov. However, he lost to eventual champion Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Norrie entered the Delray Beach Open as the top seed and advanced to his first final of the year following wins over Oscar Otte, Sebastian Korda and Tommy Paul. He beat Reilly Opelka 7-6(1), 7-6(4) in the final to win the title.

The 26-year-old has carried the momentum into the Mexican Open. He had to survive a scare from John Isner in the second round, before cruising past Peter Gojowczyk to reach the semifinals. The Brit then stunned Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 to qualify for his second ATP 500 final.

Rafael Nadal vs Cameron Norrie head-to-head

Saturday's final will be the fourth meeting between the two players, with Nadal leading the head-to-head 3-0.

Their first meeting was in the third round of last year's Australian Open, where the Spaniard won 7-5, 6-2, 7-5.

Nadal then beat Norrie 6-1, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open before defeating him 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in the third round at Roland Garros.

Rafael Nadal vs Cameron Norrie prediction

Rafael Nadal is the firm favorite heading into this match. The Spaniard is unbeaten this year and has not dropped a set all week.

Norrie, however, cannot be counted out. The win over Tsitsipas would have given him plenty of confidence and erased doubts over his capability to beat a top player.

Nadal's forehand has been firing on all cylinders in Acapulco, and he will rely on that shot to control the rallies against Norrie. The Brit is a pretty consistent server, but Nadal is a supreme returner and shouldn't have much trouble getting Norrie's serves back into play.

The Brit, on his part, must look to stay assertive in baseline exchanges and prevent Nadal from controlling the action. That's easier said than done though. The Spaniard has been in incredible form and it's hard to see Norrie posing too much of a threat.

Prediction: Nadal to win in straight sets.