PARIS – Belgium’s David Goffin, 52nd world champion and defending champion in Montpellier, experienced a bit of cold sweat as he entered Monday night’s Open Sud de France but advanced to the second round, beating France’s Benjamin Bonzi (68th), 2 -6, 7-5, 6-1.
Leading a set to nothing and 3-0 in the 2nd, Goffin, first to overcome and make many mistakes, especially in the serve, was able to recover, also taking advantage of a less effective Bonzi, to return to the 2nd set before takeoff. in the 3rd. However, it took him three points to finally win in less than 2 hours.
It is almost the same scenario that happened last year in the second round of the Montpellier tournament, when the Belgian eliminated the Frenchman after a closed match, with 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.
“If it can be like last year, where I played badly in the beginning before I finally won the tournament, it will be good,” Goffin joked shortly after his victory.
“I’m back in the competition, I need rhythm and time on the pitch,” explained the 31-year-old Belgian, who had to end the 2021 season prematurely in September due to a back injury to his knee.
“But in the end, I’m happy” I overcame, he added.
Goffin, who did not start the year in the best possible conditions – was abandoned during the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 tournament in Sydney due to a sore throat, before being released in the first round of the Australian Open – and left Monday top 50 for the first time since August 2014, he received an invitation to the Montpellier tournament after “forgetting to register”.
In the second round he will face the winner of the meeting between the Frenchman Adrian Mannarino (58th) and the Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (47th).
