WHAT HAPPENED: The US Open is a two-week test of physical endurance in five-set matches for the men and on Saturday, the talented Frenchman Gael Monfils could not survive that test, as he was forced to retire with a leg injury in the second set of his third-round match against David Goffin.
The No. 9 seed Goffin advanced with a 7-5, 5-1, ret., victory and is now into the round of 16 at Flushing Meadows for the first time in his career. Prior to Saturday, the 26-year-old Belgian had been 0-3 in career US Open third-round matches.
Both players had survived five-set wars in the second round, Goffin advancing in 4 hours, 20 minutes, while Monfils was on the court for more than three hours. Both men walked walked onto Louis Armstrong stadium with battle scars--Goffin had his left knee taped and Monfils started with his right knee taped, adding tape to his right forearm early in the opening set.
Monfils called for the trainer down 0-5 in the second set to work on his right knee. After returning to the court to hold serve, Monfils slowly walked to the net to concede and shake hands.
"He's a friend and not easy to see him like that. I wish him a speedy recovery, " Goffin said of Monfils, who turned 31 on Friday.
The first set had lived up to the expectations of an entertaining tussle between the pair who had split their first two career matches.
Most of the points were mini-wars of attrition, baseline battles of lengthy ground stroke exchanges that saw each player scampering around the court to get to the next shot. There were just three break points in the set, and Goffin saved two in the seventh game. He converted his opportunity with a big forehand winner to claim the set.
The stats reflect how close the first set was. Goffin won 40 points, Monfils 36. As expected, Monfils led with 18 winners but also had 20 errors while Goffin was steadier with just 10 winners and 9 errors.
WHAT IT MEANS: Goffin's season had started off strongly with runner-up showings at Sofia and Rotterdam, the Australian Open quarterfinals and the semfinals at Monte Carlo before he hurt his right ankle at the French Open and subsquently misssed Wimbledon. Upon his return, he had a mediocre hard-court summer season but is now one victory away from his third career Grand Slam quarterfinal.
MATCH POINT: While this abbreviated 75-minute victory should help with his own leg issues, the obvious question is whether Goffin is physically fit enough to keep winning?
