David Goffin turned back the clock on Friday night at the Miami Open, upsetting world No. 3 and 2022 champion Carlos Alcaraz in the Spaniard’s opening match. Goffin prevailed 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 after two hours and 18 minutes.The 34-year-old, who was once as high as No. 7 in the world before falling out of the top 100 and then resurfacing at his current ranking of 55th, was in it in the entire way. He led by a break in the first set before seeing his advantage slip away, only to recover in the second. Goffin broke at 4-4 and this time he held the lead, serving it out easily one game later.
With momentum in hand, the Belgian raced to 2-0 lead in the decider. In the span of 23 points across the second and third sets, Goffin won 18 to Alcaraz’s five. It was enough to take control of the match, and from there the underdog never relinquished the upper hand.
“It feels amazing,” Goffin assured. “Sometimes matches are tough, and you have to fight…. That’s why I continue to play tennis, to have that kind of match in the stadium, to play some good tennis. [I was trying] to enjoy the moment. Physically I was moving well; physically I was ready to fight. And then I was feeling the ball really well, so it was the kind of night that you feel great.
“It was the key to be aggressive [with] the return, especially on his second serve. The key was even if I missed, I had to be aggressive. He has everything. If you’re too passive, then you’re dead. So I had to start from the return and try to dictate. That was the key today–try to dictate a little more. It was great.”Goffin will face Brandon Nakashima in the third round on Sunday. Elsewhere in the bottom half of the draw, Daniil Medvedev fell to Jaume Munar 6-2, 6-3. Munar now finds himself in an all-unseeded matchup with Gael Monfils, who ousted No. 26 Jiri Lehecka 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(8). Novak Djokovic avoided the upset bug with a 6-0, 7-6(1) victory over Rinky Hijikata.
