The 2023 Mexican Open in Acapulco saw one of the biggest upsets of this year's edition when the second-seeded player was eliminated.
Casper Ruud, world no. 4 and the second-seeded player, was defeated in the second round of the tournament by world no. 125 Taro Daniel. The three-set thriller ended with a score of 5-7, 6-2, 6-7(5), and Ruud had two match points in the 12th game of the third set.
The loss was a major blow to Ruud, who was expected to make it to the finals of the tournament. However, it was a moment of triumph for Taro Daniel, who pulled off one of the biggest upsets of his career and booked a quarterfinal meeting with the eighth-seeded Alex de Minaur.
The match started off with Ruud taking a lead in the first set, leading 3-0. However, Taro Daniel quickly bounced back and got a break back to level the score. The Norwegian had two more chances to break his opponent again, but he couldn't use those and his opponent surprised him in the 11th game, breaking Ruud and winning the first set 7-5.
In the second set, Ruud dramatically improved. He hit 11 winners and made only 3 unforced errors and after just 41 minutes, he won it 6-2 to force a decider.
The third set was a nail-biter, with both players giving it their all. Ruud had two match points in the 12th game of the set, but he couldn't convert them into a win. Taro Daniel fought back and won the tiebreaker 7-5, clinching the victory and shocking the tennis world.
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