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Nick Kyrgios celebrates beating Rafael Nadal at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco. Watch live tennis at https://www.tennistv.com/live. Photo: Hector Vivas/Getty Images

Nick Kyrgios overcame food poisoning on Wednesday at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC to record his biggest match win in two years. In a match, the Australian said he “will never forget”, Kyrgios saved three match points to beat top seed Rafael Nadal at the Acapulco Princess Mundo Imperial for a place in the quarter-finals.

“I love going out and playing the big matches,” said Kyrgios. “It’s one of the best atmospheres that I’ve ever played in. You could tell the crowd was loving every minute of that match,” said Kyrgios. “That’s what we play for. To come to Acapulco, Centre Court, a packed crowd. They were never silent. They were cheering Rafa’s name, cheering my name. It’s a match I will never forget.”

Kyrgios did not break Nadal’s serve in the match, which lasted two hours and three minutes, but he saved three match points in the third set tie-break to win 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(6). The 23-year-old, who also beat Novak Djokovic at the ATP 500 tournament in 2017, later admitted that he had considered not contesting the match due to illness.

“I woke up today and had food poisoning,” said Kyrgios. “The physio gave me some tablets and it helped a bit, but I was feeling a little woozy. I’ve been dealing with a knee injury as well. Before the match, I wasn’t so sure if I was going to go out there. I was in the shower a half an hour before I played and just feeling really average. [But] the more I got into the match, the adrenaline kicked in. I’m just really proud of how I overcame a couple of things tonight and the way I competed.”

Kyrgios, who will face Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals on Thursday, added, "I’ve had a pretty shocking year to start… A win like this gives me a bit of confidence in myself. I just want to do my thing and find my way. Just to be able to compete and have fun again is something that’s been lost on me for a long time. To find it again today against a player like Rafa is pretty special."

Watch Kyrgios vs. Nadal Highlights From Acapulco

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The Spaniard serves up a verbal lashing to Nick Kyrgios, saying he "lacks respect", after the Australian's stunning three-set win over the world number two at the Mexico Open.

The Spaniard serves up a verbal lashing to Nick Kyrgios, saying he "lacks respect", after the Australian's stunning three-set win over the world number two at the Mexico Open.

Watch Wednesday highlights from the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco with Nick Kyrgios beating Rafael Nadal and John Isner's 400th career win. Photo: Abierto Mexicano Telcel. Watch live tennis at https://www.tennistv.com/live.

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Nick Kyrgios reflects on beating Rafael Nadal in an incredible atmosphere on Wednesday night at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco. Watch live tennis at https://www.tennistv.com/live.

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A second-round clash between Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC had all the makings of a potential blockbuster, and it delivered just that on Wednesday in Acapulco.

In a match featuring incredible hitting and numerous twists, the Aussie saved three match points in the third-set tie-break to stun the top seed 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(6). He evened his FedEx ATP Head2Head with Nadal to 3-3 and picked up his first Top 5 win since defeating then-World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov in the 2018 Brisbane International semi-finals.

“It’s massive. I’ve struggled a lot this year, so to be able to put in a performance like that against the No. 1 seed is pretty special,” said Kyrgios. “The level of tennis I played today is a good test for my body [and] just the way I competed, I left it all out there… It’s a massive confidence boost for me.”

Kyrgios will now face Stan Wawrinka, who fired 32 winners to defeat seventh seed Steve Johnson 7-6(5), 6-4, and advance into his third quarter-final of the season. Wawrinka leads the FedEx ATP Head2Head with Kyrgios 3-2.

“It’s going to be incredibly tough. Another multiple Grand Slam champion who knows how to win matches,” said Kyrgios. “It looks like he’s coming into form again. His one-handed backhand is one of the best ever in the game [and] he’s a great competitor.“

Kyrgios arrived in Acapulco with a 2-3 record this season and an ATP Ranking that dropped to No. 72. But the Aussie is famous for bringing his best to the biggest stadiums against the world's best players, and an upset always is a possibility.

The Spaniard struck first after Kyrgios gifted a break of serve with a double fault and casual volley error, allowing Nadal to take a 4-2 lead in the first set. Nadal won 13 of the last 18 points in the set to grab the early advantage.

Kyrgios took a medical timeout after and it appeared he might retire, but the Aussie decided to soldier on. He showed plenty of trademark flashy play in the second set, striking the shot of the week in the fourth game with an incredible backhand slice winner, but also displayed plenty of heart. A wild ninth game saw Kyrgios save four break points to keep the match on serve.

The Aussie hit a purple patch in the tie-break and ripped a pair of winners from the baseline to earn a 3/0 mini-break. He continued to dominate the final minutes of the set and forced a decider.

Although Kyrgios received treatment on his lower back before the start of the third set, he continued to move swiftly around the court. He bravely saved five break points in an epic five-deuce game at 2-3 that, just to ensure it had everything, saw Kyrgios nearly win a point with an underhand serve. Both men continued to hold serve and fittingly force a third-set tie-break.

A forehand error from Kyrgios gave Nadal the mini-break to lead 4/3, and the top seed soon earned a trio of match points at 6/3. In classic Kyrgios fashion, he saved the first with a drop shot winner and the next with a volley that clipped the top of the tape. Nadal barely missed a backhand passing shot up the line to bring the tie-break to 6/6, then shockingly double faulted to give Kyrgios his first match point. The Aussie fell to his back in celebration after a backhand sent long by the Spaniard wrapped up the match after three hours and two minutes.

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Thomaz Bellucci and Rogerio Dutra Silva should try to play all of their matches in Brazil. The home favourites enjoyed a raucous crowd on Wednesday evening en route to the Brasil Open semi-finals.

Bellucci/Dutra Silva came back from a set down for the second time this week, beating Marcelo Arevalo/Jamie Cerretani 4-6, 6-4, 10-6 to make the last four in Sao Paulo. The Brazilians upset the second seeds Leonardo Mayer/Joao Sousa 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 12-10 in their opener.

Bellucci/Dutra Silva will face Luke Bambridge/Jonny O'Mara in the semi-finals. The fourth-seeded Brits dismissed Sander Gille/Joran Vliegen 6-4, 6-4. Third seeds Roman Jebavy/Andres Molteni also advanced, beating Maximilian Marterer/Andreas Mies 6-4, 6-2.

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#NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime is here to stay. The 18-year-old knocked out a seed in his opening-round match for the second week in a row on Wednesday, beating fifth seed Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 at the Brasil Open in Sao Paulo.

Auger-Aliassime beat Cuevas on Saturday in the Rio Open presented by Claro semi-finals to make his maiden ATP Tour final (l. to Djere). That run propelled him into the Top 100 and to where he sits today, at a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 60.

But the newfound expectations didn't affect Auger-Aliassime, who upset Cuevas, a three-time Brasil Open champion (2015-17), behind 12 aces and by saving four of five break points faced as the Brazilians cheered his victory.

“It's definitely my breakthrough of my career,” Auger-Aliassime said of his time in the South American country. “As a young guy, it's a big moment whenever you crack the Top 100, and now with the [crowd] support that I'm getting obviously I'm enjoying it more and more, and hopefully I can go far again this week.”

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Auger-Aliassime will meet Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas for a place in the quarter-finals. Serbian Laslo Djere, the man who beat Auger-Aliassime in the Rio final, won his sixth match in a row, beating Italian qualifier Alessandro Giannessi 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4. Djere will meet second seed Malek Jaziri of Tunisia for a quarter-final spot.

Elsewhere, Chile's Christian Garin made his first tour-level quarter-final by upsetting sixth seed Jaume Munar of Spain 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 7-6(2). Munar, who made the semi-finals at the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals, saw 12 break points but converted only two.

The 22-year-old Garin, who won his first tour-level match six years ago, will play fourth seed Leonardo Mayer of Argentina. Mayer overcame a mid-match dip to beat Italy's Lorenzo Sonego 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

Third seed Guido Pella won 90 per cent of his first-serve points (27/30) and beat 2018 Quito Open champion Roberto Carballes Baena 6-2, 6-4. Pella will meet countryman Marco Trungelliti, who beat Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-4, 7-5.

During his ATP Tour career, Andre Agassi played a strategic brand of baseline tennis that always saw him thinking two steps ahead. It’s no surprise that quality has carried into his investment strategies.

The former World No. 1 opened up in a recent interview about how he has invested his more than $31 million in career prize money - plus a hefty sum in endorsement deals - in order to maximise his net worth while positively impacting the lives of others.

“I bet on people, not on things,” said Agassi to the Economic Times. “A good idea can get screwed up and an average idea can become something really special because of people.”

But while Agassi was never afraid to gamble down break point or at 4-4 in a final set, his investment strategy is more conservative. He told the Economic Times that he opts for a clear risk approach that “may not see 10-12 per cent returns every year, but also [won’t] drop in value by 20 per cent.”

Although clear risk strategies are often seen as a hands-off approach, Agassi is far from that when it comes to his finances.

“I have my more high-risk investments that I personally engage with. Outside of that, I am happy to listen to any investment as a passive investor,” he said. “But there are one or two areas that I really connect with - like maybe education or sports - where I take a much more aggressive position [and] invest my time and money.”

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Agassi has been betting on people through education for nearly 20 years. In 2001, his foundation launched the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a public charter school in his hometown of Las Vegas. He has since teamed with an investment fund and helped finance the building of more than 90 charter schools across America in the past five years.

The tennis legend isn’t shy to admit his eighth-grade dropout status and said he hopes to prevent others, even those with the same athletic aspirations as his, from going down the same path.

“Education endows you with choice. My lack of education was probably the greatest vehicle to my commitment and interest In education,” he said. “[If] you’re successful in sports, but you spent a third of your life not preparing for the remaining two-thirds… that’s not ideal.”

Juan Martin del Potro will not go back-to-back at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. The Argentine, still on the comeback from another injury, announced his withdrawal from the season's first ATP Masters 1000 on Wednesday.

“I am truly disappointed that I will not be able to return to the BNP Paribas Open to defend my title,” Del Potro said. “It is one of my favourite tournaments, and I have incredible memories from last year, but my doctors have advised me to rest. I hope to be back on court soon.”

Del Potro fractured his right patella more than four months ago, on 11 October, at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. He missed the Rolex Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals to finish 2018, and the Australian Open to start this season.

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Del Potro felt healthy enough to make his season debut last week at the Delray Beach Open, where he fell in the quarter-finals. But he wore a bandage on his rehabbed right knee and admitted to feeling pain throughout the ATP 250.

BNP Paribas Open Tournament Director Tommy Haas said: “I fully understand how difficult it can be to deal with injuries, and that coming back from them is not always a straightforward process. We wish Juan Martin all the best in his recovery, and hope to see him back at the BNP Paribas Open next year.”

The prolonged recovery could knock Del Potro out of the Top 10. He currently has 5,085 ATP Rankings points, but he will drop 1,500 points by not retaining his title at this week's Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco, an ATP 500 event, and at the BNP Paribas Open, where the champion receives 1,000 ATP Rankings points.

Japan's Taro Daniel, who beat Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells last year, will take Del Potro's place in the draw. The tournament begins 7 March.

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Roger Federer reflects on a hard-fought victory over Fernando Verdasco, his 50th match win at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Watch live tennis at https://www.tennistv.com/live.

Watch David Ferrer and Tennys Sandgren leave it all on the court at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC. Watch live tennis at http://www.tennistv.com. Photo: Abierto Mexicano Telcel