David Goffin delivered one of his career-best victories in the second round of the Miami Masters. The 34-year-old stunned the former champion and world no. 3 Carlos Alcaraz 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 after a rock solid performance.
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The Belgian dropped a tight opener but kept his composure and overpowered his opponent with bold and aggressive tennis. Explaining his tactic, David revealed his plan to control the rallies and hit bigger and faster than the four-time Major winner!
Goffin was eager to attack Alcaraz's second serve and keep the points on his racquet. The Belgian also tried to avoidthe young gun's forehand, keeping him off balance and bringing home a memorable victory.
The veteran saved three of five break points and made the difference with four return games on his tally. Alcaraz hit more winners but also unforced errors, counting over 40 wayward shots! David tamed his strokes nicely and finished on a 23-25 ratio.
Alcaraz did not feel the ball well, spraying too many forehand errors and hitting the exit door on the first obstacle. They stayed close to each other in the shortest and most advanced rallies, and Goffin made the difference in the mid-range ones.
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The Spaniard missed a chance to grab an early break, wasting two opportunities at 2-1. He lost serve in game seven after a double fault and pulled the break back a few minutes later after causing an error from his opponent.
The 21-year-old made another push on the return at 6-5. He landed a volley winner and created three set points. The Belgian sprayed a backhand error on the second, allowing his rival to claim the opener 7-5 in 49 minutes.
Alcaraz reached a deuce on the return at 4-3 in the second set, hoping to create a chance and finish the duel. Instead, David kept his composure and held for 4-4. It gave him a boost, and he would use it nicely!
Goffin attacked on the return in the ninth game and landed a volley winner for a break and a 5-4 advantage. The lower-ranked player fired a service winner in game ten, bringing the set home and introducing a decider after an hour and 35 minutes.
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Alcaraz suffered a break in the first game of the final set and felt even worse about his game. He received a time violation warning ahead of the third game and denied a break point to keep himself within one break deficit.
In the meanwhile, David served well and forged a 5-3 advantage. He stepped in on the return in game nine and converted the second match point with an attack and a forced error, celebrating his eighth top-3 victory.
"I feel amazing. I had to play at a high level against such a strong opponent, but I also tried to enjoy every moment and feel good about myself. I achieved that. I was physically ready for the fight, and I moved well. I felt the ball nicely, which raised my confidence.
I finished the match after an incredible last point to make things even better. One of the keys to my win was to be very aggressive on the return, especially on Carlos' second serve. Sometimes, you can not do much on his first serve, so I had to step in on the second.
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I wanted to maintain my aggression on the return, even if ending with an error. You can not be passive against Carlos or feed his forehand. That's why I stayed active from start to finish and dictated the rallies. I went for the points and showed that on a match point, too," David Goffin said.
