Resurgent Goffin captures first title since February of 2021

David Goffin really needed something to go his way on this clay-court swing as he prepares for the season’s second major at Roland-Garros. He didn’t have to wait long.

Goffin won his first clay-court tournament of the year, beating Alex Molcan 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final of the Grand Prix Hassan II on Sunday afternoon. The Belgian converted five of eight break points to triumph after one hour and 58 minutes.

“It was the case twice before that match that I lost the first set and I always stayed calm the whole week to turn it around,” Goffin reflected. “It was the case again today, because he was playing well. He was better than me in the first set, and then I managed to play better and better, serving better, being more aggressive in the middle of the second. I was the better player [after that]. I was playing even better in the third set, so I’m really happy the way I finished with another break [and] a good match point. I didn’t want to serve for the match; I preferred to finish with a break.”

Long-await success for Goffin

Goffin’s last ATP title came in Montpellier 14 months ago, but before that he had not even reached a final since finishing runner-up at the Cincinnati Masters in the summer of 2019. The 31-year-old dealt with Covid-19 at the end of 2020 and a knee injury plagued him throughout 2021 and also earlier this season. Heading into Marrakech, Goffin’s record for the 2022 campaign was a mere 6-9.

Now he suddenly has a sixth career title and he will climb from No. 74 in the rankings to a projected 47th.

“I’m very happy (and) proud of my week. It was not easy, a lot of tough matches,” Goffin said. “But at the end, I have my sixth title, here in Marrakech. It gives me a lot of happiness and confidence for the season on the clay.”

He will now travel to Monte-Carlo, where he awaits a first-round match against qualifier Jiri Lehecka.

You might also like this

Goffin ends ATP Tour title drought in France

tennis majors

Djokovic to open in Monte-Carlo against Davidovich Fokina

tennis majors