World No 2 Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock early exit from the Miami Open after David Goffin claimed an impressive comeback victory.
Goffin rallied from a set down to claim a 5-7 6-4 6-3 win against Alcaraz, who fell to his second loss in as many matches after also being beaten by Jack Draper at Indian Wells last week.
Alcaraz was punished for an inconsistent opening performance at the ATP Masters 1000 event, with the Spaniard posting 43 unforced errors – including 28 on the forehand wing – during his defeat.
Alcaraz will remain as No 3 in the PIF ATP Ranking
“It was a poor level from me,” Alcaraz said. “I just wanted to play better. After the first set, I thought I was going to be better. He played well, he played good tennis. My level didn’t increase. I think his level after the first set increased a little bit.”
Alcaraz had the opportunity to move to No 2 in the PIF ATP Ranking with a Miami Open victory and an early exit for Alexander Zverev, but will now remain third in the standings.
Alcaraz suffered an early exit after Goffin’s comeback at the Miami Open
“I didn’t play well, physically I didn’t feel well. When you don’t have the confidence of your level physically, I think it’s really tough to maintain good tennis,” he said.
“I didn’t feel well in my legs. I wasn’t injured, I wasn’t sick. I was feeling perfectly before the match. I felt good, a little bit nervous, which is normal before the match. But nothing more than that. I just felt ready, I thought that I was going to play really good tennis. It didn’t happen.”
Goffin is through to the Miami Open third round for the first time since 2019 and now has three consecutive wins against top-three players, with the Belgian set to play American Brandon Nakashima next.
“It feels amazing. Sometimes some matches are tough and you have to fight, like the first round, and you’re happy to have a second round like that in a stadium,” Goffin said. “That’s why I continue to play tennis, to have that kind of match in a stadium, to play some good tennis.
“[I was] just trying to enjoy the moment… I felt that physically I was ready to fight and then I was feeling the ball really well, so it’s the kind of night that you feel great and you’re happy to fight, you enjoy every point and at the end it’s a perfect end with a great match point. It was amazing.”
Earlier in the day, six-time champion Novak Djokovic made his long-awaited Miami Open return and defeated Australian Rinky Hijikata 6-0 7-6 (7-1) to reach the third round.
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Highlights of the Miami Open match between Rinky Hijikata and Novak Djokovic
It marked Djokovic’s first Miami appearance since 2019 and the fourth seed’s victory was his 410th ATP Masters 1000 match win, tying him with Rafa Nadal atop the all-time list.
“I wanted to make a statement to myself and to others, as well, that I’m still able to play on a high level,” Djokovic said. “I lost [my last] two tournaments in my first rounds, so I really was eager to get the win in the first match in the Miami Open.”
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