MASON (Ohio), Aug 18 — A rested David Goffin advanced to his first ATP Masters 1000 final with a straight set victory over Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the Cincinnati Masters yesterday.
The 16th seeded Belgian prevailed 6-3 6-4 to make his 13th ATP Tour final.
He will play the winner of Saturday’s later semi-final between top seeded Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev.
“I’m really happy,” said Goffin. “I’ve played the best tennis here in the past few years... It’s a great moment for me.”
A quick break saw Goffin surge to a 4-1 lead with a backhand winner down the line in the first set. Gasquet grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second set before Goffin claimed five of the next six games.
He won the set and the match when a Gasquet backhand was long. Goffin had received a walkover into the semi-finals after Yoshihito Nishioka was forced to withdraw due to food poisoning.
“It was almost a day off, so I was fresh and physically 100 per cent today to play against Richard,” the Belgian said.
Goffin added that he was “lost” after the walkover.
“I didn’t know what to do. Do I have another practice session, go to the physio and have some treatment? I didn’t know,” the Belgian said.
“I decided to go on the court for some practice and do what I normally do after.” — Reuters
