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Belgian star puts himself in contention for Nitto ATP Finals berth
David Goffin captured the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2017 crown on Sunday, adding to the ATP World Tour title he won last week at the Shenzhen Open (d. Dolgopolov). It was his first trophy at an ATP World Tour 500-level tournament.
Watch by Her Imperial Highness Princess Mako, the fourth-seeded Belgian defeated Adrian Mannarino of France 6-3, 7-5 in 84 minutes at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo for his fourth ATP World Tour title (4-6 overall in finals). Last year, Goffin had finished as runner-up to Australia’s Nick Kyrgios in the title match.
“It’s a really special trophy for me, as I won the tournament last week and now have again today,” said Goffin. “It’s a special feeling at a tournament I like. I have a lot of happy memories in Tokyo. It’s difficult to describe my feelings.
“It’s important for me to stay fresh physically and mentally with potentially the [Nitto] ATP Finals ahead and then playing for Belgium in the Davis Cup final. I am ready fight and I want to keep winning.”
Having started the week at No. 13 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, Goffin added a further 200 points on Sunday to move up one spot to No. 8 ahead of Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in the battle to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 12-19 November.
The 26-year-old Goffin, who extended his winning streak to nine matches, will now travel to China for the Shanghai Rolex Masters, which began today, with $336,900 in prize money and 500 Emirates ATP Rankings points.
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Mannarino recovered from 15/40 in his first service game, but two games later Goffin broke to lead 3-1 with a forehand winner down the line. Goffin lost just four of his 25 service points in the 40-minute opener.
A lapse in concentration put Goffin under pressure on serve at 2-3, when Mannarino struck aggressively to force an error at 15/40 — with Goffin hitting a backhand wide. Down 2-4, Goffin regrouped to break back immediately and saved a break point at 4-4. The consistent Belgian raised his game in the ninth game, then calmly closed out his 49th match win of 2017 (49-18) with a hold to love.

Goffin is now 3-0 lifetime against Mannarino in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.
“It wasn’t easy," said Goffin. “The final is always tough to manage the emotions before and during the match. I just needed one break to win the first set, then in the second set he became more aggressive. Adrian was very solid in the rallies, hitting the ball flat. At the end I started to be a little more aggressive on the return of serve and I was pleased to comeback and break him at 5-5.”
The 29-year-old Mannarino, who is now 0-4 in ATP World Tour finals, recorded the biggest victory of his career in the Tokyo semi-finals on Saturday by beating top-seeded Croatian Marin Cilic. The Frenchman, now 28-23 on the season, which also includes a runner-up finish at the Antalya Open (l. to Sugita), leaves Tokyo with $165,170 in prize money and 300 points.
“David played really well,” said Mannarino. “He broke me once in the first set, but he played three or four winners in a row, so it’s wasn’t easy. I got the break in the second set, but couldn’t hold my serve. The quality of the game was really good, but I wasn’t good enough compared to him. I’ve had a pretty good season, definitely my best so far.”

One spot left up for grabs for 2017 season finale
David Goffin has become the first Belgian singles player in the 48-year history of the Nitto ATP Finals to qualify for the prestigious season finale. He will join World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, six-time champion Roger Federer, debutants Alexander Zverev and Grigor Dimitrov, and former qualifiers Dominic Thiem and Marin Cilic in the elite eight-man field at The O2 in London from 12-19 November.
Goffin is the seventh player to secure his place as a result of play at the Rolex Paris Masters on Thursday. He served as an alternate at 2016 Nitto ATP Finals, replacing the injured Gael Monfils in one round-robin match (l. to Djokovic).
"I would have preferred to have qualified by winning my match and Lucas is a friend but I am still so happy to have qualified!" said Goffin. "It is every player's dream to make the (Nitto ATP) Finals and it is my first time there so I can't wait to get to London!"
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The 26-year-old Goffin has compiled the best season of his career, with his first 50+ match wins record and as the first Belgian to break into the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings at No. 10 on 20 February. He ended a six-match losing streak in finals with back-to-back ATP World Tour titles in October at the Shenzhen Open (d. Dolgopolov) and the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2017 in Tokyo (d. Mannarino).
He also finished as runner-up in consecutive finals in February at the Garanti Koza Sofia Open (l. to Dimitrov) and the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam (l. to Tsonga). Goffin earned the biggest victory of his career over then No. 2-ranked Novak Djokovic in April at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (l. to Nadal in SFs) and has compiled a 21-5 match record since 28 August.
With less than one week left of the regular 2017 ATP World Tour season, Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta currently holds the last remaining qualification berth, but could still be ousted by one of Juan Martin del Potro, Roberto Bautista Agut, John Isner and Jack Sock subject to results in Paris this week.
The eight-team doubles field is already set, featuring Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo, defending champions Henri Kontinen/John Peers, 2015 titlists Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau, Jamie Murray/Bruno Soares, four-time former winners Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan, Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut, Ivan Dodig/Marcel Granollers and Ryan Harrison/Michael Venus.
The Nitto ATP Finals welcomes more than 250,000 fans to The O2 arena each year, as well as generating a global TV viewership of more than 100 million, as the ATP’s best eight singles players and doubles teams of the season compete over eight days at the biggest indoor tennis tournament in the world.

As of 15 May, the nimble Belgian was fourth in the Emirates ATP Race to London as a result of an early-season run of form. Reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, finals in Sofia and Rotterdam and further strong results on clay in Monte-Carlo and Madrid, Goffin seemed en route to qualifying for the season-ending championships for the first time, having played one match as an alternate last year (l. to Djokovic.)

But at Roland Garros, his season – and his ankle – took a turn.

After an unfortunate slip on the backcourt rain tarps in his third-round encounter with Horacio Zeballos, Goffin’s season stalled, forcing him to miss Wimbledon before making a comeback on North American hard courts later in the summer. Following the US Open, it was difficult to tell if the 26 year old would be able to reclaim his early-season form.

“It was not easy to come back from my injury, that’s why I decided to play a lot of tournaments, a lot of weeks," said Goffin.

In Asia, Goffin put himself back in contention for a spot in London by winning his first two titles since 2014 at the Shenzhen Open and the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, ultimately compiling a 54-22 win-loss record to reach a career-high ranking of No.8 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

“I didn’t expect to be here at this tournament but as soon as I won two titles ... I decided to continue to try to be in the tournament and that’s the case,” said the Belgian. “That was the challenge: to be part of this tournament – and I made it, so I’m happy to be here. The season is not over yet and I’m going to try to play one more week and try to do my best.”

Goffin’s focus now shifts to his opening match against Rafael Nadal, twice his conqueror in 2017.


“It’s the toughest opponent to start this campaign here at the ATP Finals,” said Goffin of Nadal. “It’s not going to be easy. It’s our first meeting on hard courts indoors; we played some good matches on clay, in Madrid for example ... I’m sure I can play some good tennis against him.”

Despite only going two sets, their Madrid encounter was of the highest quality, which included several memorable highlight-reel points in the second set. Goffin remarked that playing Nadal on hard courts compared to clay courts is a completely different challenge.

“First of all, it’s faster on hard courts and the [bounce] is lower indoors. Rafa, he cannot slide on this surface. He’s more comfortable on clay and can play higher, he can play deeper; it’s really heavy when he’s hitting the ball on clay so it’s not easy to take the ball really early.

“Here there is no bad bounce – you can take the ball early, earlier than on other surfaces,” added Goffin. “You can do a lot more winners, so that’s what I’m going to try against him in my first match. But it’s not easy, he’s such a great fighter, such a great defender and as soon as you give him a short ball it’s a winner for him. It’s never easy to play against him.”

Goffin is set to play Nadal at the Nitto ATP Finals in Monday’s evening singles.

David Goffin claimed the biggest victory of his career on Monday night, upsetting World No. 1 Rafael Nadal 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-4 to start his 2017 Nitto ATP Finals.

The seventh seed overcame seeing four match points come and go in the second set, as Nadal saved them all on his racquet – 4-5, 30/40 and three consecutively from 0/40, 5-6 down.

The Belgian pressured the Spaniard's serve, but the World No. 1 played aggressive each time, including at 15/40, 5-6, when he smacked a 93 mph crosscourt backhand winner.

In the third set, however, Goffin's persistence paid off. Serving for the match, he hit an ace down the T, his 14th ace of the match. “I am really happy. It was such a good atmosphere tonight,” Goffin said.

Goffin celebrated the fifth Top 10 win of his season (5-9). More than half of his career wins against the elite group in the Emirates ATP Rankings (9-36) have come this season, his best on the ATP World Tour. Goffin qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time, and has now begun the season-ending championship with the best win of his career.

The Belgian has a favourable FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Group Pete Sampras competitor Dominic Thiem (6-3). Goffin trails Grigor Dimitrov in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 1-3.

Nadal, however, has cut short his Nitto ATP Finals. The Spaniard has withdrawn from the season-ending championships due to injury, and his countryman Pablo Carreno Busta will take his place in Group Pete Sampras.

Nadal was playing in his first match since withdrawing before the Rolex Paris Masters quarter-finals on 3 November because of a right knee injury. The Spaniard has won 75 tour-level titles, including 30 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns, but he has never won the Nitto ATP Finals. The Spaniard, who will finish as year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, finished runner-up at the season finale in 2010 and 2013.

NITTO ATP FINALSTHE O2, LONDON | NOV 12-19
Nitto ATP Finals


GOFFIN SWEEPS THIEM TO REACH SFS
Story By: Jonathon Braden
02:57 PM GMT November 17, 2017
Goffin
© Thomas Lovelock
David Goffin is having one of the best runs of his career this week at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Four days after beating World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, the seventh seed upset No. 4 Dominic Thiem on Friday 6-4, 6-1 in only 72 minutes. Now the Belgian debutant will play six-time champion Roger Federer on Saturday for a place in the title match of the Nitto ATP Finals.

“I have nothing to lose,” Goffin said. “He's playing so well.”

The 26-year-old became the fourth and final player to reach the semi-finals of the season finale. Goffin finished second in Group Pete Sampras, behind group winner Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria. Federer, the only unbeaten player in London, won Group Boris Becker, and American Jack Sock reached the semi-finals on Thursday night by beating Alexander Zverev.

It's the first time since 2008 that three players – Goffin, Dimitrov and Sock – are appearing in the semi-finals of the season finale for the first time. Nine years ago, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Gilles Simon also reached the semi-finals for the first time.

Goffin has never beaten Federer in their six-match FedEx ATP Head2Head. They most recently played last month in the semi-finals of the Swiss Indoors Basel. Federer won 6-1, 6-2 en route to his eighth Basel title.

But Goffin has checked off a number of “firsts” this season, and especially this week at The O2 in London. No Belgian had ever qualified for the prestigious season-ending championships, and Goffin had been 0-4 during his career against players ranked No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

But on Monday, Goffin prevailed past Nadal to start 1-0 in London. He fell to Grigor Dimitrov on Wednesday but Goffin, who's won two ATP World Tour titles this year, rebounded well on Friday afternoon.

After a slow start, the right-hander took 12 of the final 14 games to improve to 7-3 against Thiem in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry. Goffin seized the big points against Thiem, who was trying to become the first Austrian to reach the semi-finals, a feat countryman and former World No. 1 Thomas Muster could not achieve.

Goffin won five of his seven break points, while Thiem finished one for six in the key area. Thiem also struck 27 unforced errors, including six double faults, compared to only 11 winners