Carlos Alcaraz could not chase his second Miami Open crown. World no. 3 experienced a tough 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 defeat to David Goffin in the second round. Thus, he hit the exit door and experienced another setback after losing the Indian Wells crown.
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The Spaniard did not like his performance, admitting he played poorly and got outplayed by the 34-year-old. Carlos claimed the opener but did not gain confidence. He struggled on serve in sets two and three to propel his rival through.
Alcaraz did not trust his shots or body, and he could not push himself to play on a higher level. The young gun felt pressure while chasing the result in the decider and left the court mighty disappointed.
Goffin claimed three points more than Alcaraz. David produced more efficient numbers behind the first serve and pressured his rival after the opener. The Belgian denied three of five break points and provided four return games to notch a notable victory.
David hit 23 winners and 25 unforced errors. Carlos attacked but failed to find the range after landing 36 direct points and 43 mistakes. His forehand let him down as he struggled to bring his explosive game and take the upper hand in the rallies.
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Alcaraz fought well in the shortest and most advanced exchanges, while Goffin took charge in the mid-range ones. Carlos wasted two break points at 2-1 in the opening set. He sprayed a double fault in the seventh game and experienced a break.
The 2022 champion caused the rival's mistake in the eighth game, pulling the break back and returning to the positive side. The Spaniard stepped in on the return at 6-5 and generated three set points with a volley winner.
David missed a backhand on the second, losing serve and the opener after 49 minutes. The Belgian stood close to the exit door at 3-4 in set number two. However, he closed it after a deuce for 4-4and took charge.
Goffin stepped in on the return in game nine and provided a break with a volley winner at the net. The veteran landed an unreturned serve at 5-4, wrapping up the set and introducing a decider after an hour and 35 minutes.
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Carlos lost serve in the first game and felt even worse. He received a time violation warning ahead of the third game and saved a break point to stay one break behind. David controlled the pace in his games and opened a 5-3 advantage.
Alcaraz felt the pressure and faced match point on serve in game nine. The Belgian seized the second with a forced error, celebrating a top-3 win and sending the former champion packing.
"I performedpoorly. David outplayed me, and I have to admit that. He raised his level after the opener, although he already played well, while mine declined. I did not play well and did not feel good physically, either.
Everything becomes much more complicated when you lose confidence in your skills or body. This was obvious in sets two and three as I could not push myself to play better tennis and challenge my rival. I struggled in my service games and made mistakes until David broke me.
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Chasing the result in the decider made me feel terrible," Carlos Alcaraz said.
