“Air machete” Machac defeats Goffin on UTS debut in Guadalajara

Tomas Machac made playing at altitude look easy as he defeated David Goffin in straight sets on his UTS debut.

Tomas Machac UTS Guadalajara | © UTS

February 15, 2025

UTS debutant Tomas Machac doesn’t have the experience of 34-year-old veteran David Goffin. The Belgian was part of the early days of UTS, and the former world No 7 is back again, after reaching the semi-finals of the inaugural UTS at the Mouratoglou Academy in 2020.

Machac – “The Air Machete” – may not have had the experience on his side but he had the power to break through “The Wall” on Friday night in Guadalajara, 19-11, 16-11, 17-13.

“It was a tough match, because the conditions are difficult to play in,” Machac said. “He doesn’t make many mistakes and I know that. I was trying to be a bit more aggressive today.”

First quarter: Machac makes it look easy

Machac was solid from the start and he pulled away in the last minute, connecting on his three-pointer for an 18-10 lead when Goffin barely missed a wild attempt at a backhand winner wide.

The Czech talent said he forgot to use his card earlier in the set, which is why he used it on the penultimate point. Sometimes experience gets overshadowed by luck…

“He played well,” Goffin said after the first quarter. “I’ll just have to be a little bit faster, I’ll just have to raise my level.”

Goffin has seen the evolution of UTS, from its earliest days in the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic, and was all smiles to be playing in a stadium full of 4,500 fans in Guadalajara.

“It’s completely different,” he said. “The atmosphere was great. It was packed, with the music. A completely different UTS for me, and I loved it.”

Second quarter: Goffin can’t rally

The top ranked Czech is 24th in the world at the moment. He’s also an extraordinary showman and he demonstrated his crowd-pleasing capacities with a beautiful volley winner at the end of a magical point for 5-3.

Momentum changes happen fast at UTS but Goffin could not engineer one in the second quarter. He was blitzed by Machac.

After a brief scare that saw the Belgian pull within one, the 23-year-old pulled away to take the quarter, 16-11.

Third quarter: activate the sweep

Some incredible shotmaking kept the Belgian in the third quarter — he was level at 9-9 with 2:15 remaining after painting the lines with a couple of brilliant backhands.

But Machac was relentless. He took a 16-12 lead to the buzzer and closed out the win in three straight quarters on his second match point.

“Guadalajara is a very nice city and the tournament is so great,” Machac said. “I still can’t catch my breath in this altitude – it’s for skiing, not for tennis!”