Winston-Salem Open: Goffin sets up semi-final meeting with Sonego

Belgium’s David Goffin moved into the semi-finals of the Winston-Salem Open with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Australia’s Rinky Hijikata at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex on Thursday.

Goffin overwhelmed Hijikata by smashing six aces and converting four break points to complete the win in a little over an hour. The Australian created a break point opportunity in the opening set but couldn’t cash in. It was the duo’s first match up on the ATP Tour.

For Goffin, the victory was momentous as it earned him a semi-final spot on tour for the first time since April 2022, when he won the Marrakech ATP 250 title.

Goffin, ranked 90, will play 10th seed Lorenzo Sonego from Italy next.

He has faced Sonego twice thus far. Their first-ever meeting came in the quarter-finals of the Open Sud de France, Montpellier, in 2021, when the Belgian registered a 6-4, 6-4 win. More recently, the two played in the qualifiers of the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters, where the Italian staged a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 comeback.

Notably, Goffin has spent more time on the court than Sonego at the Winston-Salem Open thus far. He fought past the likes of Jaume Munar, fifth-seed Luciano Darderi, and 12th seed Arthur Rinderknech in the previous rounds.

Sonego, on the other hand, received a bye in the first round, overcame Dominic Stricker in the second before getting a walkover against Juncheng Shang. He bettered 15th seed Pavel Kotov from Russia in the quarter-finals.

Winston-Salem ATP 250, other quarter-finals results:

• Pablo Carreno Busta beat Learner Tien: 6-4, 6-2
• Alex Michelsen (11) beat Christopher Eubanks: 7-5, 6-7(6), 7-6(5)
• Lorenzo Sonego (10) beat Pavel Kotov (15): 6-3, 7-5

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