World number one Carlos Alcaraz said he would “learn lessons” from his shocking first-round exit at Tuesday’s Astana Open after losing 7-5, 6-3 to Belgium’s David Goffin. . US Open champion Alcaraz suffered his first straight sets defeat since last November, when Goffin took full advantage of his second chance as a lucky loser. “He played better than me, really aggressive,” said Alcaraz. “I couldn’t handle the pressure he was putting on me and of course it’s something I have to learn and learn from this game.”
Alcaraz, 19, played his first ATP tournament since his Grand Slam win in New York, making him the youngest number one in the world ever.
He then immediately flew to Valencia to play in the Davis Cup and won one of his two singles rubbers as Spain claimed a place in the quarter-finals.
“Coming back to the competition is never easy,” said Alcaraz.
“He (Goffin) played two games here on this pitch. It’s not easy to get used to, it’s really very slow. It was very tough for me, for my confidence.
“I tried so quickly to get used to this field, but it didn’t work and he was better than me in this game.”
Goffin only earned a spot in the main draw after the withdrawal of Danish teenager Holger Rune. He plays Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the last 16.
“I always believe I have the level to cause some trouble against those guys,” said Goffin, a former top-10 player who is now 66th.
“When you play against the number one in the world on a big stage, with a big crowd, the fire inside gives you so much power to play your best tennis because you don’t have a choice.
“You have to fight and do your best and that was the case today. I’ve always believed I had it and I’m glad you can still do it there.”
It was 31-year-old Goffin’s third win against a top player, after beating Rafael Nadal in 2017 and 2020.
Alcaraz was last year defeated in two sets by Frenchman Hugo Gaston during the Masters in Paris. He had taken at least one set in 62 games this season.
Daniil Medvedev took a 6-3, 6-1 win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas as he tries to secure a place in the season-closing ATP Finals in Turin.
Third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas passed Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 6-4.
The Greek is chasing a third title of the season. He achieved 50 tour-level wins in 2022 after breaking Kukushkin once in each set.
“It was a great game from my side,” said Tsitsipas, who then takes on Italian qualifier Luca Nardi for a place in the quarterfinals.
Karen Khachanov won in his first appearance since reaching the semifinals of the US Open, beating American Maxime Cressy 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).
promoted
Novak Djokovic will face Cristian Garin on Wednesday after he won the 89th title of his career in Tel Aviv last weekend.
(This story was not edited by DailyExpertNews staff and was generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
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