[12] David Goffin (BEL) vs. [131] Nicolas Almagro (ESP)
Almagro led their head-to-head 3:2; however, while Goffin’s career has been heading in an upwards direction, Almagro has seen his ranking dropped precipitously due to a series of injuries. This was reflected in the results with Goffin winning their last two encounters; thus, mentally he had the advantage over the Spaniard despite his heavily taped left knee. Plus he had the added advantage of being a better mover than his opponent with a bigger selection of shots in his arsenal.
The first set was a dominant display from Almagro as he took advantage of a slight dip in concentration from his opponent to get the only break. He was in the zone, making winner after winner with very few unforced errors; however, Goffin knew if he could ride the initial wave of brilliant play from the Spaniard he would get an opportunity to rattle his opponent.
Goffin is also savvy enough to know when to keep the ball in play and he chased down everything Almagro sent his way, which began to frustrate the Spaniard, who became impatient and went for ill-advised shots. Once he cracked mentally it was only a matter of time before his game unraveled. Although he managed to break to get back on serve, he had lost his rhythm and Goffin immediately broke again to win the second set.
By the third set it was obvious that Almagro had lost his will to compete. There was no fighting through the rough patch for him and he became more wrapped up in expressing his frustration than in trying to regain his composure and find a solution. It was hardly surprising that Goffin broke him twice to win the set and the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
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