Tennis
Belgian David Goffin defeated American Frances Tiafoe
On Sunday, Belgian David Goffin defeated American Frances Tiafoe, the 23rd seed, in a five-set thriller to replicate his Wimbledon quarterfinal performance from his previous Grand Slam campaign in 2019.
The former world number seven lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in 2019 but, following an injury-plagued last season on the Tour, has made it back to the round of 16 once more to tie his greatest major tournament showing.
Goffin, who is now ranked 58th, held his composure to defeat Tiafoe 7-6(3), 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 in a thrilling match on court one that lasted four hours 36 minutes. Goffin will now play local favourite Cameron Norrie for a spot in Friday’s semi-finals.
“It is significant. Because I didn’t participate last year, it’s almost like a back-to-back quarterfinal for me “Goffin, who is 31 years old, told reporters. “I was thrilled to return here because it’s a crucial tournament for me, possibly my favourite tournament of the year, a place I adore, and a surface on which I can play exceptionally well. On that surface, I achieved some fantastic outcomes.” The last of their four meetings took place in the second round of this year’s Roland Garros, a match that Goffin won in four sets. Goffin entered the fourth round matchup against the 28th-ranked Tiafoe with a 4-1 head-to-head advantage.
