Goffin emerges as Alcaraz’s first rival in Miami | ATP Tour

Miami

Goffin emerges as Alcaraz’s first rival in Miami

Hijikata, Djokovic rival in 2R; Monfils also advances

March 19, 2025

David Goffin’s grace wants to be seen in Florida, where the Belgian seeks to exhibit some of the flashes that took him to the first line of the circuit. For an old No. 7 of the PIF ATP Rankings, a good connoisseur of the biggest stages of the circuit, the Miami Open tracks present by 2025 represent an opportunity to compete with the ease of yesteryear.

The Central Europe, which has already climbed to the semifinals of the tournament in the 2016 edition, will have a gigantic challenge as soon as the road start: measure the former champion Carlos Alcaraz in the second round of the tournament.

Goffin shaped his first victory of the week this Wednesday, finding the keys to recompose (2-6, 6-4, 6-2) a duel to open grave against the Australian Aleksandar Vukic. After delivering a first manga in which he had no breakdown before his rival, the Belgian developed his usual labyrinth of blows to change the script of the game. The touch in the hand, the leg speed and a privileged reading in the plays gave him a victory of enormous weight in Miami.

At 34, Goffin lives a second youth in the circuit. After leaving behind a chain of injuries that took him away from the world top 10, the Belgian seeks to redeem himself in the veteran, with a completely armed life outside the clues. After becoming a father for the first time last September, David has managed to splash his way to ATP Tour.

The Belgian managed to climb to the quarterfinals in the Shanghai Rolex Masters in the final stretch of 2024, defeating Alexander Zverev on that trip, an unpublished round in his career at this level of tournaments in the last four seasons. Weeks ago, confirming that ability to stand up to the first line, managed to surprise the American Ben Shelton in Acapulco. Results with which you will need to convince yourself in Miami.

Now, the second ATP Masters 1000 of the season places him in the face of an immense challenge. Keeping the look at Alcaraz’s youth in the second round lands like lead in his hands, capable of holding the face to face so far with the Spanish. The history Lexus ATP Head2head shows a technical draw between the two (1-1), although the rivalry has been frozen since the duel won by the Belgian in 2022 under the cover of Astana.

If Goffin, who will turn 35 this year, continues to resist at the highest level, the case of Gael Monfils – will comply 39 in September – is still more spectacular. The Frenchman seems to be living a third youth and this Wednesday at his premiere in Miami gave a good show of this, signing the ticket to second round in three sets.

Ancient No. 6 of the PIF ATP Rankings defeated Fabian Marozsan 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in an hour and 44 minutes, in a match in which he added 38 winning blows and 78% of the points that put into play with his first service according to the Infosys ATP statistics were awarded.

“I played some angles and showed that I could run and anticipate,” Monfils valued. “I made it difficult. I played with a little more depth in my shots and I did not allow him to take the initiative, I think I did it well.”

Monfils, who arrives in Miami with a title already in the backpack this season and a 12-4 record, will be the rival of the standard head No. 26 Jiri Leheckka in the second round.

This Wednesday was marked by the great battles on the Hard American track. And Rinky Hijikata had to subtract in the third set to stay alive in the match (4-5) to end up linking three consecutive games against Hamad Medjedovic.

The Australian ended up signing the victory 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 in two hours and 27 minutes and will now be the rival of the standard head No. 4 Novak Djokovic.