American qualifier Patrick Kypson pulled off a stunning upset at the ATP Acapulco 500 event on Monday, knocking out second seed and two-time champion Alex de Minaur in a tense three-set thriller.
The 26-year-old American, ranked world No. 103 entering the week (his career high), triumphed 6-1, 6-7(4), 7-6(4) in two hours and 39 minutes. It marked Kypson’s first ATP Tour main-draw victory since Indian Wells in 2024 and easily the biggest scalp of his career so far.
Kypson came out firing in the opening set, dominating from the baseline and overwhelming de Minaur to take it 6-1. The Australian, fresh off lifting the title in Rotterdam just two weeks earlier, fought back in the second, forcing a tiebreak where he edged it 7-4 to level the match.
The decider delivered plenty of drama. De Minaur held a golden opportunity to close things out while serving at 5-4, but Kypson broke back to force a tiebreak. In the breaker, the American showed nerves of steel, rallying from an early deficit to seal the win.
According to Infosys ATP Stats, Kypson was rock-solid on serve, winning 71 per cent of his first-serve points (48 of 68), and he capitalized when it mattered, converting three of five break points.
“It feels amazing. Everything was important. I had to serve well. I had to return well. I did my forehand really big. Luckily, I was able to do those things for a pretty extended period of time,” Kypson said post-match.
This was Kypson’s debut at the Mexican Open, and the timing couldn’t have been better—he arrived riding strong Challenger form, where he tied for the most titles in 2025 with four (shared with five others). The win propels him up seven spots to No. 93 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, confirming his top-100 breakthrough.
De Minaur, the world No. 6 and a two-time Acapulco winner, saw his impressive 10-match winning streak at the event snapped in disappointing fashion. For Kypson, the reward is a second-round clash against fellow American Brandon Nakashima, who eased past Elias Ymer 6-3, 6-4 earlier in the day.
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