The tropical area at the tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula is best known for its beaches, resorts and sport fishing.

Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., reeled in a big catch of his own Saturday with a victory in the men’s singles final of the Mifel Tennis Open in one hour 11 minutes.

Shapovalov defeated seventh-seeded American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-2 to win the ATP 250 event at the Cabo Sports Complex. The first set took only 35 minutes to complete.

Shapovalov led most categories in the final. He had six aces, won 20 points while receiving, won three games in a row, and won nine service games. He had one less unforced error (23-22) than his opponent.

“We have been working for quite a few years now and it hasn’t been easy coming back from injury,” Shapovalov said in a Tennis Canada release. “But all the work we’ve done, it is really paying off.”

Kovacevic had two aces, two double faults, and won six service games.

The 26-year-old Shapovalov won the Dallas Open in February, and now has four career ATP titles. He advanced to Saturday’s championship match with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Australian Adam Walton in the semifinals.

All three of Shapovalov’s previous career ATP Tour titles have came on indoor hard-courts. This was his first event of the summer hard-court season after capping a rough grass-court campaign with a first-round loss at Wimbledon.

Kovacevic upset the top-seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the other semifinal.

Shapovalov will be one of the featured Canadians at the 2025 National Bank Open in Toronto, which gets underway on Saturday, July 26.

–With files from Sportsnet Staff