Carlos Alcaraz-conquerer David Goffin makes his feelings known on beating Spaniard in 'amazing' Miami Open shock upset

David Goffin turned back the clock during his second-round encounter against Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Miami Open on Friday (March 21), coming from a set down to defeat the World No. 3. Following his victory, the Belgian expressed happiness at getting to headline the action at the Hard Rock Stadium - which was admittedly a big motivator for him to prolong his career.

Alcaraz began his opener at the Florida event in comprehensive fashion, taking the first set 7-5 in nearly an hour. However, Goffin wasn't to be deterred, as he fought tooth and nail to stay on serve with his 21-year-old opponent in the second set. The former World No. 7 eventually broke serve in the ninth game of the set before closing it out 6-4.

The 34-year-old then got an early break of serve in the deciding set and held on to it to complete a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 win against Alcaraz in two hours and 20 minutes. During his on-court interview afterward, Goffin was overjoyed as he confessed that "enjoying the moment" got him across the finish line despite cramps in his legs.

"It feels amazing. Sometimes matches are tough. You have to fight.. like in the first round. You’re happy to have a 2nd round in a stadium. So I feel like ok I have a match under my belt, that’s why I continue to play tennis. To have that kind of match in a stadium," David Goffin said after his victory against Carlos Alcaraz. "To play some good tennis. Try to enjoy the moment. Try to feel great. That was the case with the legs. Physically I was moving well. I was ready to fight."

The World No. 55 further disclosed that he got underneath the ball well enough, which contributed to his upset win over the second-seeded Spaniard.

"I was feeling the ball really well. It’s nice when you feel great and you’re happy to enjoy every point. At the end, it’s a perfect end with a great match point. It was amazing," he added.

With his victory, David Goffin improved his tour-level head-to-head record against Carlos Alcaraz to 2-1. The result comes as a welcome change for the Belgian, who has struggled with various injuries and consistency issues in the last few years. The veteran will next face 31st-seeded Brandon Nakashima in the third round of the Miami Open.

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Carlos Alcaraz hasn't won an outdoor hardcourt title since the 2024 China Open

Carlos Alcaraz looks on at 2025 Australian Open | Image Source: Getty

Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, dropped his opener at an ATP Tour event for the first time since his Round-of-64 defeat to Gael Monfils at last year's Cincinnati Open. The four-time Major winner has visibly struggled with stringing together consistent, deep runs since losing the Olympic gold medal match to Novak Djokovic in Paris last August.

More concerningly, Alcaraz has failed to win an outdoor hardcourt title since the 2024 China Open last October. While the World No. 3 did go all the way on the indoor hardcourts of Rotterdam in February, he has disappointed on outdoor hardcourts over the last few months, exiting in the semifinals of the 2025 Indian Wells Masters, the quarterfinals of the 2025 Australian Open, the 2025 Qatar Open and the 2024 Shanghai Masters, the third round of the 2024 Paris Masters, and the second round of the 2024 US Open and the 2024 Cincinnati Open, respectively.