Goffin Gains Revenge For Rotterdam SF Spot

Third seed David Goffin booked a maiden ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament semi-final on Friday courtesy of a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 triumph over fifth seed Grigor Dimitrov.

In a repeat of last week’s Garanti Koza Sofia Open final, Goffin exacted revenge on Dimitrov in more than two hours of enthralling action to clinch his first victory over the in-form Bulgarian.

“It was an amazing match, from the first point until the last, with great intensity,” said Goffin. “I decided to be really aggressive from the first ball. That was the key, to show him I was ready to be aggressive. He was really solid in the second set, so it was hard to maintain that level, but in the end I found my best tennis to finish the match.”

Before 2017, Goffin had not won a match in Rotterdam in three attempts. “Now I love this tournament,” joked the Belgian. “Even though I didn’t win a match here before, they were close. This year I’ve come here with more confidence. That’s why I’ve won some tough matches. I’m really happy to be in the semi-finals for the first time.”

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The World No. 11 kept Dimitrov off balance in a series of extended rallies to claim a first set lead. However, Dimitrov had won 16 of his first 17 matches in 2017, which included two ATP World Tour titles, and replicated his recent form to force a decider.

Back-to-back passing shot winners secured Goffin an immediate break in the final set. Dimitrov pressed the third seed, but Goffin maintained his advantage and progressed to the final four to meet qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

The Frenchman, currently ranked World No. 109 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, claimed his first Top 10 singles victory with a 6-4, 7-6(3) win over second seed Dominic Thiem. Herbert will contest his second ATP World Tour singles semi-final on Saturday having dropped just nine points on serve.

“I played to my strengths, I played really well, served really well and came to the net to hit some good volleys,” said Herbert. “Maybe today this is the style of game players don’t want to play, especially on this fast court.”

A forehand return winner provided the crucial break in game 10 to take the first set for the 25 year old. Herbert held three match points at 5-4 before World No.8 Thiem forced a tie-break. The Rotterdam qualifier struck a pair of winners before a canny serve-and-volley ended Thiem’s tournament.

The landmark victory guarantees Herbert a Top 70 position in the rankings for the first time. Alongside partner Nicolas Mahut, the Frenchman will also contest a doubles semi-final on Saturday.

Herbert claims his doubles success, which includes eight ATP World Tour-level titles, has benefited his singles performances. “This is evident for me. For sure it has helped me a lot. If I hadn’t played finals of Grand Slams or matches in Davis Cup, I wouldn’t have been able to hold my nerve like I did,” added the Frenchman. “At 4-4 (second set) I had break points to save, at 5-4 I had a 0-40 game but couldn’t make it. I stayed calm and that helped me a lot to stay focused to win in straight sets.”