Goffin beats Djokovic for first time; advances to semifinals

MONACO (AP) — David Goffin beat Novak Djokovic for the first time in his career on his fifth match point, winning 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 to reach the Monte Carlo Masters semifinals on Friday.

Goffin denied Djokovic a possible 50th career match against defending champion Rafael Nadal, who rallied from 4-2 down in the second set to beat unseeded Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 6-4 in a scrappy match that finished under floodlights shortly after 9 p.m.

The fourth- seeded Nadal remains on course for his 10th Monte Carlo title.

Goffin has never played the 14time Grand Slam champion before.

“It's the biggest test you can have on clay. He likes to play here. He likes to play on clay anywhere,” Goffin said. “He runs all over the place. On clay, he can be a real wall. But I do have my own weapons. I have a good cross-court backhand. I can try to dictate the points.”

Goffin had lost all previous five matches to Djokovic and looked to heading for another when the 12time Grand Slam winner led 4-2 in the decider.

But Goffin broke him in the eighth game and held firm on his own serve when taken to deuce in a tight 11th game.

The pressure was back on the second-ranked Djokovic to hold and force a tiebreak, but Goffin kept coming at him and Djokovic also had to cope with a time viola- tion during that tense 12th game for taking too long to serve.

“That's fair from the chair umpire to tell me that I'm taking a little bit too much time. It was just in a very awkward moment to give me a warning,” Djokovic said. “It's just that sometimes there should be maybe a little bit more tolerance and understanding for certain situations like that one, where it was very long point, at 6-5 in the third.”

The early evening light on the court was still bright enough to affect both players, with Goffin saying it was “a nuisance” when he was serving at 5-5 and Djokovic complaining that it was “almost unplayable” in the nail-biting 12th game.

“(Like) someone putting a flashlight directly in your eyes,” he said.

Djokovic saved the first match point with an ace; the second one on his second serve; the third with a stinging forehand winner and a fourth when Goffin chopped a backhand into the net.