David Goffin beats Denis Shapovalov in Atlanta battle of former Top 10 players | ATP Tour

Atlanta

Goffin beats Shapovalov in Atlanta battle of former Top 10 stars

Davidovich Fokina, seeded number 5, advances

July 22, 2024

David Goffin won a battle of former Top 10 stars on Monday at the Atlanta Open, where he beat Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 to reach the second round.

“It wasn’t easy, especially the first match of the American summer. This kind of surface can be different depending on whether the sun is out or not, with the humidity, with the heat,” Goffin said. “It’s not easy to find a good rhythm in the first match (of the season), but I’m really happy that I managed to win this one. It’s great for my confidence, especially for the first tournament and the first time I come here to Atlanta.”

That feeling of victory in the first round 💪🔥@David__Goffin wins over Shapovalov 6-4 3-6 6-1 @ATLOpenTennis | #AtlantaOpen pic.twitter.com/Ljqc3NCkVt

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 22, 2024

The former number 7 in the ATP PIF rankings qualified for Wimbledon before losing a heartbreaking match in the first round of the main draw. Tomas Machac eliminated the Belgian in the tie-break of the final set.

Goffin bounced back against Shapovalov, against whom he now holds a 2-1 advantage in the Lexus ATP Head2Head. The 33-year-old is the first Belgian to win a match in Atlanta since Ruben Bemelmans in 2012.

“I was pretty focused in my match with the set and the break lead in the second set. Then he started to make me play a little bit more, he was a little bit more solid, and he came back with some great shots,” Goffin said. “But I knew if I stayed consistent, if I stayed calm to manage my service games at the beginning of the third set, that was the key. As soon as I broke him at the beginning of the third set, I felt he was a little bit more nervous and he was starting to make more mistakes. I tried to stay focused until the end and that’s what I did. I’m happy.”

Earlier in the day, fifth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina also made a successful Atlanta debut.

The Spaniard, who had accepted an invitation to the ATP 250 event, eliminated Frenchman Arthur Cazaux 6-2, 7-6(4). Davidovich Fokina won 83% of his first serves and saved all five break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Another winner on Monday was Japanese left-hander Yoshihito Nishioka, who beat American qualifier Zachary Svajda 7-6(4), 6-3.