Carlos Alcaraz entered the Astana Open on Tuesday as the new World No.1, but his first outing in the top spot ended abruptly with a straight-sets loss to David Goffin. It was a rare stumble for the US Open champion, who hadn't lost in straight sets since November. Goffin, who only entered the draw as a lucky loser, took full advantage of the opportunity, beating the 19-year-old Spaniard 7-5, 6-3 in just under two hours. After a competitive start in the first set, Alcaraz lost his serve at a critical moment, handing the advantage to his opponent.
This defeat ended a dominant run for the Spaniard, who had gone 67 matches in 2022 without losing in straight sets. The last time he suffered such a result was against France's Hugo Gaston during the Paris Masters last year. David Goffin, now 31, dictated much of the play and outscored Alcaraz by 17 points, managing to dominate the match despite only landing 53% of his first serves.
Goffin, who once reached a career-high of world no. 7, set the tone early. He pressured the US Open champion with relentless baseline play and impressive pace. The Belgian was efficient throughout, thwarting seven out of ten break attempts and converting five of his eleven break point opportunities, beginning his assault in the opening game of the match.
After leading 5-2, Goffin had a brief lapse in focus, which allowed Alcaraz to fight his way back to 5-5. However, the world no. 66 quickly regained his composure, breaking once more to claim the first set. Goffin kept the pressure high in the second set, while Alcaraz struggled significantly with his timing and ball control across the court.
Goffin started the second set strong, winning the first game with a sharp volley and forcing an error in the second to go up 2-0. Alcaraz tried to respond but wasted three break points in the third game, allowing the Belgian to extend the lead to 3-0 with a powerful service winner.
The young Spaniard managed to save some break points in the fourth game to prevent the score from widening further, but Goffin still held a comfortable lead at 4-1. A poor drop shot from Alcaraz led to another break at love in the sixth game, putting Goffin in a position to serve for the match at 5-1. The victory was sealed when Alcaraz hit a volley wide, prompting a triumphant celebration from Goffin.
With this win, Goffin improves his record against world number ones to 3-8. After winning in Marrakech earlier this year, he now moves on to face France's Adrian Mannarino. In other tournament news, Daniil Medvedev secured a convincing 6-3, 6-1 win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas.