It looked like tennis’ favorite Spaniard was about to notch another victory in his recent comeback tour, but it was Santa Monica’s Sam Querrey who upended Rafael Nadal on Sunday in Acapulco, 6-3, 7-6(3). The win, which marked the first Acapulco title for an American since the tournament originated 24 years ago, catapulted Querrey inside the Top 30, to #26 – his highest since 2013. His career high is #17, in 2011. Also in Acapulco, #27 Steve Johnson (Redondo Beach) reached the quarterfinals.

SoCal Tennis will be well represented this week in Indian Wells, as all eyes look to the desert for one of the most prestigious tournaments of the year. Querrey, Johnson, and Taylor Fritz (Palos Verdes) headline SoCal athletes in the Mens’ main draw, while Jared Donaldson (Irvine), and Ernesto Escobedo will look to emerge from the Qualifier, which begins today.

The Women’s Qualifier began on Monday, and includes a first round showdown between Newport Beach’s Julia Boserup and Asia Muhammad of Long Beach. Coco Vandeweghe (Rancho Santa Fe), Nicole Gibbs (Santa Monica), and Kayla Day (Santa Barbara) represent SoCal in the Main Draw.

Be sure to keep up with our local athletes at Indian Wells this weekend. We’ll be reporting daily this week with updates on all of these talented SoCal players – welcome home!