Alexander Zverev shook his head in annoyance and immediately disappeared into the catacombs of the arena in Shanghai. The heavy defeat against lightweight David Goffin took its toll on Germany’s best tennis player. The dream of a Masters title in China was shattered after a 4:6, 5:7 defeat against the strong Belgian.
At the same time, Zverev was unable to equal his record of 60 tour wins in one season, which he set in 2018. Only world number one Jannik Sinner has broken the mark this season.
“I just tried to stay positive – and it worked out in the end. I’m very happy,” said Goffin, who had a fantastic day. Instead of Zverev, he will now face the American Taylor Fritz in the round of the last eight, with whom Zverev would have liked to get revenge for his recent defeats.
Against Goffin, who is only 1.80 meters tall and weighs 70 kilograms, the Tokyo Olympic champion had to struggle enormously with the returns and passing balls of the former world number seven at the beginning of the match – Zverev complained in the direction of his box. Goffin repeatedly lured the favorite with half-long slice balls to the net in order to counter him there. The 33-year-old secured the break to make it 4:3, which he managed to get through.
Zverev only won 65 percent of the points on his own first serve in the first round and had to improve. But the French Open finalist seemed unsettled and repeatedly made avoidable mistakes. Towards the end of the second round, the clever Goffin managed the decisive break, much to the German’s obvious displeasure.
Zverev, who didn’t always have himself under control in the previous tournament and had had a heated argument with the chair umpire the day before, hit a ball into the night air. In the Belgian’s final service game there was no strength left for a comeback, after 1:56 hours Goffin converted his first match point.
For Zverev, the unexpectedly early exit at least offers him the opportunity to recover. During the Laver Cup in Berlin he recently complained of fever and cough – before the tournament in Shanghai he finally took a week-long break due to pneumonia, but still didn’t always seem at his best physically.
