David Goffin wins first round of European Open in Brussels and extends his farewell

A comeback in three sets

David Goffin beat Swiss player Remy Bertola 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the European Open in Brussels on Wednesday, 21 October. The match lasted 2 hours and 7 minutes at Palais 12 of Brussels Expo, a hall where the crowd was fully on the Belgian's side. Bertola, ranked 219th in the ATP rankings, reached the main draw as a lucky loser after losing in the second round of qualifying. Goffin, ranked 657th, entered the event on an invitation from the tournament organisers.

Goffin lost the first set 3-6 after 39 minutes, having started slowly and dropped serve early. Bertola went 0-3 and then 1-4 up, and Goffin saved two double-break points at 1-5 before pulling back to 2-4. He won the second set 6-3 by lifting his level on serve, breaking at 4-2 and confirming it at 5-2. In the third set the pair stayed level until Goffin broke at 4-4, and he then closed out the match on his own serve, taking the set 6-4.

Tears and a planned party

Goffin was overcome with emotion in the final set and was in tears while he kept his composure on serve. Speaking after the match, he smiled as he described the celebration he had planned for the end of his career.

I had planned a small party, I am going to have to cancel it.

The win means the Belgian stays in the tournament for at least one more match, which he had expected to be his last.

Michelsen next, then the final stretch

The European Open is the last tournament of Goffin's career. Le Soir calls him the best Belgian player in history and notes that he was once ranked seventh in the world. He is due to face the American Alex Michelsen, ranked 39th, in the round of 16 on Thursday, 22 October, in the afternoon. The winner of that match faces top seed Arthur Fils, the Frenchman ranked 10th, for a place in the quarterfinals. The 11th edition of the tournament, an ATP 250 event with 723,435 euros in prize money, runs from 17 to 25 October at Brussels Expo. Goffin also plays doubles with Raphael Collignon, and the pair beat the third seeded pair, which included Australian Marc Polmans, on Monday.

Tributes from the Belgian tennis world

Former teammates and captains have marked the end of his career. Steve Darcis, a former Davis Cup teammate and captain of Goffin, said that many people had followed Goffin's career and that Goffin wanted to give them this farewell. Sabine Appelmans, former captain of the Belgian women's national team, said the outcome mattered less than the occasion itself.

The result matters less than being there.

Filip Dewulf, a 1997 Roland Garros semi-finalist, said the last two years had not been easy for Goffin and that ending a career in front of family and friends was exceptional. Dominique Monami, who was the world's ninth-ranked woman player in 1998, said the circle was closing as Goffin shares his final moments with his fans.