David Goffin upsets Carlos Alcaraz in Miami Open three-set thriller

MIAMI – In his own words, it was a night to remember for David Goffin, as the Belgian veteran fought back for an inspired 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 win over world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz in the Miami Open second round on March 21.

The 34-year-old had defeated Alcaraz in Astana during their previous encounter three years ago. Sensing that Alcaraz was not performing at his best in the opening set, Goffin adopted an aggressive strategy.

The 55th-ranked Belgian, whose world ranking reached No. 7 in 2017, struck some glorious winners while his Spanish opponent was struggling with unforced errors. He was up by a break in all three sets but having let Alcaraz recover in the first, he showed poise to stay on top.

“When I came out earlier... just to warm up on the court, I felt that I’m moving well. I’m feeling quite relaxed. I’m hitting the ball really well, and so I hoped it would be the same during the match,” Goffin said.

“I started the match well. I had the break in the first, and he started to play really well at the end of the first. It’s that kind of night that I will remember for sure – against Carlos and in a stadium like that. And the night that gave me a lot of confidence to continue.” He will next take on American Brandon Nakashima.

Alcaraz was blunt in his assessment of his performance. “In general, it was a poor level from me, I didn’t play well,” he said. “I thought I was going to play really good tennis but it didn’t happen.”

Daniil Medvedev also headed home early after suffering a 6-2, 6-3 loss to Spain’s 56th-ranked Jaume Munar, while Novak Djokovic powered to a straight-sets win over Australian Rinky Hijikata.

Medvedev, the 2023 Miami champion, showed his frustration, hurling his racket on several occasions as Mallorca-born Munar picked up his third career win over a top-10 opponent. The Russian made 32 unforced errors, and although he gave himself a chance of a comeback in the final game, he could not convert on two break points.

Medvedev confirmed he had a problem with his back but said it was no excuse and gave credit to Munar. “Yeah, I was not 100 per cent physically, I had some problems after Indian Wells, but I tried my best to get into the match. He played well, so that’s why (he won),” he said.

Djokovic, who lost his first match in Indian Wells to a lucky loser, was in no mood for another disappointment as he beat 86th-ranked Hijikata 6-0, 7-6 (7-1) to snap his three-match losing streak.

The Serb, who has won a record 40 titles at Masters 1000 level, has now equalled Rafael Nadal for most match wins (410) since the series’ introduction in 1990.

In the women’s draw, world No. 2 Iga Swiatek advanced to the third round after surviving a second-set dip to beat France’s Caroline Garcia 6-2, 7-5. The Pole had beaten Garcia with ease at the same stage at Indian Wells earlier in March but she faced a little more resistance this time.

“My energy level got down really fast. So I tried to wake myself up, keep the intensity from the first set, follow through and go for it,” Swiatek said.

Britain’s Emma Raducanu, meanwhile, showed grit and perseverance to overcome eighth-seeded American Emma Navarro 7-6 (8-6), 2-6, 7-6 (7-3) in a 2hr 53min battle. AFP