Sam Querrey upsets Rafael Nadal to win Acapulco tournament

March 5 (UPI) -- American Sam Querrey recorded one of the biggest victories of his career when he stunned second-seeded Rafael Nadal on Saturday night to win the Abierto Mexicano Telcel championship in Acapulco.

The unseeded Querrey recorded 19 aces in the 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory over Nadal. It is the first time he defeated the Spaniard in five career meetings.

"It's definitely a tournament that I'm going to remember for the rest of my life," Querrey said afterward. "It's just one of those weeks where I got in the zone and everything was working for me. I hope I can have more like this."

The title is the ninth of Querrey's career. He is the first American to ever win the event.

Querrey set the tone by winning the opening set in 29 minutes. Nadal forced a tiebreak in the second set but Querrey held off his charge.

"He played very well, almost reaching perfection," said Nadal. "I played under a lot of pressure because of his serve and baseline game. He left me with very few options, and the few I had he also played good. I have to congratulate him. I'm also very happy with my week and my game."

Nadal, who has won the event twice in his career, had won 14 consecutive matches in Mexico.

Querrey is the first American to defeat Nadal since Mardy Fish in 2011.