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The defending Los Cabos champion Sam Querrey is safely through to the second round after a commanding 6-2 6-3 win over a home player with a wild card Lucas Gomez in just 49 minutes. Sam was untouchable in his games, losing eight points overall and never facing a break point, with a powerful performance on the return as well, winning 40% of the points behind Gomez's serve and converting all three break points he earned.
Querrey rattled off 12 of the first 14 points to race into a 3-0 lead, firing four service winners in the opening game and breaking Lucas at 15 in the following game after a double fault from the Mexican. Sam broke the left-hander again in game eight to conquer the opening set in just 23 minutes and he was in front in set number two as well after a break in game four when Lucas sent a forehand long.
That proved to be the turning point of the match and the American sealed the deal with a service winner in game nine for the place in the second round where he plays against Egor Gerasimov. 2016 finalist Feliciano Lopez needed an hour and 15 minutes to dismiss the Egyptian qualifier Mohamed Safwat 7-6 6-4. The Spaniard blasted 12 aces and he dropped 12 points in his games, never facing a break point.
Safwat fought great as well, losing serve only once but failing to take at least a set. Both players found their rhythm right from the start and they needed some 35 minutes to reach the tie break, with just nine points for the returners in the opening 12 games.
Lopez won all five points on serve in the breaker and he scored a mini-break with a forehand winner in the seventh point to move 4-3 ahead. The set was in his hands when Safwat missed a backhand in the 10th point and the battle was on in the second set as well after four good holds.
Nonetheless, Mohamed couldn't reach a tie break this time around, losing serve at 15 in game five after a backhand error and allowing Feliciano to seal the deal with an ace in game 10. First round results:
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