Goffin, who last defeated Alcaraz three years prior in Astana, capitalized on Alcaraz’s subpar performance in the opening set at the Hard Rock Stadium, taking control with bold play and complementing it with unforced errors from Alcaraz.
Despite starting strong, Alcaraz struggled to keep up with Goffin, who held his nerve across all three sets, securing a service break in each one and maintaining his dominance.
“It’s a night I will definitely remember, especially playing against Carlos in a stadium like that. It gave me a lot of confidence to continue,” Goffin remarked after the match.
Alcaraz was straightforward in his assessment, acknowledging his poor performance and a feeling of heaviness in his legs that made recovery difficult after a break in the third set.
Djokovic Advances; Medvedev Defeated
While Alcaraz exited the tournament, Novak Djokovic secured a straight-sets win over Australian Rinky Hijikata, while Daniil Medvedev was sent home by Spain’s Jaime Munar with a 6-2, 6-3 upset victory. Despite Medvedev’s issues with his back, he credited Munar for his solid play.
Djokovic, looking to bounce back from his first-round loss in Indian Wells, dominated Hijikata with a 6-0, 7-6 (7/1) victory, breaking his three-match losing streak.
Swiatek and Raducanu Progress
In the women’s draw, world number two Iga Swiatek advanced past Caroline Garcia in a closely contested match, while Britain’s Emma Raducanu displayed resilience in overcoming Emma Navarro after an intense 2-hour and 53-minute match.
Swiatek overcame a dip in the second set to secure her win, and Raducanu demonstrated determination and grit in her comeback victory.
The Miami Open continues with more matches, including an upcoming encounter between Mirra Andreeva and Veronika Kudermetova.
