MIAMI GARDENS (AFP) – World number three Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock early exit from the Miami Open as Belgian veteran David Goffin fought back for an inspired 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 win at Hard Rock Stadium.
The 34-year-old Goffin beat Alcaraz three years ago in Astana in their last meeting and sensing the Spaniard was far from his best in the opening set, he went on the attack.
The 55th-ranked Goffin, whose world ranking reached number seven in 2017, struck some glorious winners while Alcaraz was struggling with unforced errors.
The slightly built Goffin was up by a break in all three sets but having let Alcaraz recover in the first he showed poise and calm to stay on top.
“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,” Goffin said.
Alcaraz was blunt in his assessment of his performance.
“In general, it was a poor level from me, I didn’t play well,” said Alcaraz who said he had felt a little heavy in his legs despite coming into the game feeling in good shape.
“I thought I was going to play really good tennis but it didn’t happen…playing a break down in the third set, not feeling great or confident physically, it’s really tough to get back,” he added.
Daniil Medvedev also headed home early after suffering a 6-2, 6-3 upset defeat 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, 27, 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 couldn’t convert on two break points.
