Brussels Fans Not Quite Ready To Bid Goffin Goodbye

David Goffin
David Goffin (photo: Belga – BNP Paribas Fortis European Open)

BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON, October 22, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)

In the lead up to David Goffin‘s last ATP Tour event of his career, at this week’s BNP Paribas Fortis European Open in Belgium’s capital city, billed as La Dernière Danse – the Last Dance – the greatest Belgian player of his generation has had plenty of time to reflect.

The 35-year-old from Liège, competing in his 633rd tour-level match of his career since turning pro in 2009, attempted to record his first tour-level win since defeating then-World No. 6 Ben Shelton of the United States in the second round at the 2025 ATP Masters 1000 in Shanghai. He’s the highest-ranked Belgian in PIF ATP Rankings history (No. 7) and owns records for the most wins (357) and titles (six) among Belgian men in the Open Era.

On Wednesday evening, the 657th-ranked Goffin enjoyed one of his finest hours as a professional with the Belgian crowd that filled Centre Court inside Palais 12 of Brussels Expo for his first-round match against 219th-ranked lucky loser Remy Bertola of Switzerland. By design, tournament director Dick Norman made it the final first-round match of the draw and showcased it as the featured match of the Wednesday evening session. There were plenty of Belgian fans wearing the traditional red and black colors associated with Belgium’s Davis Cup team and many were tooting horns, too. They created a festive atmosphere.

Whether by fate or chance, Goffin pulled a victory from the jaws of defeat and beat Bertola, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, in two hours and seven minutes to advance to Thursday’s second round against World No. 37 and fifth seed Alex Michelsen of the United States.

During last Friday’s pre-tournament draw ceremony, which featured Goffin, he hinted he was looking forward to his moment in the spotlight. “It will be a very special moment to end my career here in Belgium, in front of my home fans,” he said.

“The BNP Paribas Fortis European Open has always held a special place in my heart. I want to give everything I have on court and enjoy one last moment with the fans, looking back on everything we’ve shared over the years.”

In his eighth appearance in the ATP 250 indoor hard-court event, Goffin came into his match against Bertola 6-7 lifetime at the European Open. His best run came in 2017 when he reached the semifinal round, when the tournament was played in Antwerp.

Goffin receives hero’s welcome as he walks out on court

The center of everyone’s attention, Goffin received a hero’s welcome as he was introduced by former Belgian pro Sabine Appelmans, who is the tournament’s on-court host, and walked out waving to the crowd while blowing a few kisses, too.

For the occasion, Goffin wore a special black warmup jacket. The front was adorned with the outline of a heart and inside it his initials, DG, and 07, in recognition of his career-best world ranking of No. 7. On the back, the words “Game. Set. Merci.” were written, along with the names of the six ATP Tour-level titles he won during his career: Kitzbühel, Metz, Shenzhen, Tokyo, Montpellier and Marrakech. 

As for the match itself, Goffin looked like he was destined to bow to Bertola in straight sets – and his fans would have been understanding. Nerves were getting the best of him and very little seemed to be clicking in his game. The unforced errors seemed to be piling up and he went zero-for-two in break-point conversions. However, Goffin never gave up hope, and by the time he leveled the match at a set each, it was evident that anything could happen.

“I don’t know what to say, honestly,” Goffin said during his post-match on-court interview, fighting back tears of joy and happiness as he received tremendous applause from his legion of fans. 

“It was one of the toughest moments – and the nicest moment, as well. When I came on the court, it was really tough. The first few games were really tough for me with the nerves. Then, I started to serve well and then it hit me. The most important thing is the support you gave me the whole match from the start. Then, to finish the match with a winner, with you guys screaming, is just the best feeling we can have. I’m really happy.”

Goffin overcame 26 unforced errors by hitting 25 winners, including five aces, and he saved nine of 11 break points. Goffin broke Bertola’s serve three times in six opportunities and outpointed him 92-91. By comparison, Bertola countered with 28 winners but also committed 37 unforced errors.

 

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Could Brussels crowd get Goffin across the finish line?

On the minds of many, after Goffin leveled the match at a set each, was this: could the Brussels crowd get Goffin across the finish line? As the final set unfolded, Bertola, behind his one-fisted backhand, jumped ahead 3-0 with a break of Goffin’s serve in the second game. The Belgian great saved a break point and prevented going down a double-break deficit in his next service game, in which he went on to hold his serve just to remain a break down. Next, Goffin gained a break point at 30-40 in the fifth game and the crowd intensified its support for its favorite son. Bertola saved it after Goffin let rip a second-shot forehand that went beyond the baseline.

Soon, Goffin had another break-point opportunity and this time, he made it count. Goffin capped a 10-shot rally with a backhand winner that hugged the sideline but stayed in fair territory without crossing into the doubles alley.

With the break erased, Goffin went back to work following the changeover, down 2-3, but back on serve – and with new hope and enthusiasm. Goffin consolidated the break and it was 3-all. Game on! The crowd inside the Palais 12 broke out a couple rounds of “the Wave” and Goffin smiled and nodded his appreciation. 

After an easy hold by Bertola for 4-3, Goffin found himself needing to hold to remain in the match as it neared the two-hour mark. However, he dug himself in a hole and faced a break point at 30-40. He saved it after Bertola hit a fourth-shot backhand into the net. Then, Bertola gained another break-point chance after a double-fault by Goffin, but netted a forehand return that quashed a 12-shot rally. Goffin went on to hold his nerve – and his serve – and, suddenly, it was four-all. 

Next, Goffin gained a break point at 30-40 on Bertola’s serve – and converted it with another nifty backhand winner up the line. It gave Goffin a 5-4 lead with the match on his racquet. From looking well out of it earlier in the set, he now held a break advantage.

As Goffin sat quietly at his bench toweling off the sweat from his brow, his eyes began to well with emotion during the final changeover of the match. The crowd intensified its rhythmic clapping. Some fans held up colorful signs that read “Merci David,” while other ones spelled out “Allez David.”

As Goffin stepped to the service line, with two hours and three minutes elapsed, he quickly pushed ahead 30-0 with an overhead smash that was followed by a fifth-shot forehand winner. It seemed as if nothing could stop him now. Soon, Goffin gained a match point at 40-15 after Bertola netted a backhand return.

With the crowd standing and cheering, Goffin put away the victory on his first match-point opportunity. Following his second serve, he hit a third-shot forehand winner with grace and authority, then immediately dropped to his knees and covered his face. It was time to celebrate.

It was game, set, match for Goffin, but not goodbye. Not just yet.

The party will continue for Goffin in Brussels

“The party will continue for David Goffin in Brussels! He’s not done yet,” Ravi Ubha, the ATP Tour world feed broadcaster, said in his commentary of the Goffin-Bertola match for Tennis TV. His voice was filled with plenty of excitement.

Soon, after being congratulated by Bertola at the net, Goffin was visibly moved by what he had just accomplished. His eyes welled up with tears. As the television cameras zoomed in, Goffin smiled as he waved and blew a heartfelt, two-fisted kiss to the crowd. He was truly overcome by the moment. Next, Goffin raced over and shared hugs and kisses with his wife, Stephanie, and two-year-old daughter, Emma, who were seated court side for Wednesday evening’s match. There were other members of Goffin’s family and friends, who shared in the celebration.

“I guess we have to cancel the party tonight,” Goffin quipped during his on-court interview, smiling as he opined. “Just in case, I booked something but pretty much every day. … I’m OK with that.”

Goffin added: “It was just the perfect moment for me. I couldn’t have expected more, more support from the start of the week, starting with the doubles with Raphael [Collignon] and he was here tonight for my match.”

On a night filled with plenty of emotions, there were tears of joy emoted by Goffin. He achieved a comeback win that he will never forget. Goffin played – and won – with a purpose. Goffin found a way to motor past the finish line. While it might be his last tournament, Wednesday evening was not his last match. On Thursday, Goffin (now 358-275) will be back during the afternoon session to face Michelsen, who is 13 years Goffin’s junior. Then, during the evening session he and Collignon will play their quarterfinal-round doubles match against Constantin Frantzen of Germany and Robert Galloway of the United States.

Goffin smiled and summed up his feelings as he spoke to Appelmans during his on-court interview. He conveyed one simple message to his legion of fans: “Tomorrow, we do it, again!”

Chidekh continues amazing run in Brussels

A day after Clement Chidekh won his first ATP Tour main draw match against No. 7 seed Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands, the 152nd-ranked Frenchman reached his first tour-level quarterfinal after defeating No. 87 Jacob Fearnley of Great Britain, 7-6 (4), 6-2, in one hour and 47 minutes on Centre Court. 

Chidekh, who became the fourth lowest-ranked quarterfinalist in event history, was in control throughout much of the second-round match. By the conclusion, he had hit 26 winners to offset 29 unforced errors, won 82 percent (31 of 38) of his first-serve points, converted three of 10 break points and outpointed Fearnley 80-69. Chidekh denied Fearnley of a second-career ATP Tour-level quarterfinal.

After a day to recover, Chidekh will be back on court Friday in the Brussels quarterfinals against No. 3 seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina.

Around the Brussels Expo

• No. 3 seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over 107th-ranked American lucky loser Martin Damm in one hour and 35 minutes on Centre Court. The win lifted Cerundolo into his 38th career ATP Tour quarterfinal – and eighth one of 2026.

The World No. 21 Cerundolo wrapped up his 37th victory of the season with his 12th ace and 23rd winner overall. He won 80 percent (36 of 45) of his first-serve points, saved six of seven break points he faced and broke Damm twice. He outpointed his opponent 75-64.

“I’m super happy to win because Martin is a super difficult opponent,” Cerundolo said during his on-court interview. “He has a lot of power – a big serve and ground strokes – and I knew he was going to be super tough. I think I played a really good tie-break … and I’m happy to be into the quarterfinals.”

With a pair of titles this season – one on clay (Buenos Aires) and one on grass (Queen’s Club) – it leaves only winning a title on hard courts to complete a triple crown of surfaces for Cerundolo. “I guess I have to win now on hard courts, right?,” he asked. “I like playing on these conditions and I’m going to practice [Thursday] and try to play as strong as possible [to win] on Friday.”

Next, Cerundolo (37-20) will face 152nd-ranked qualifier Clement Chidekh of France on Friday.

• Tallon Griekspoor became the first Dutch quarterfinalist in tournament history after defeating No. 8 seed Mariano Navone of Argentina, 7-6 (4), 7-5, in an hour and 48 minutes on Centre Court. The 60th-ranked Griekspoor’s 15th victory of the season advanced him to his 25th ATP Tour quarterfinal – and fourth of this season after Montpellier, Rotterdam and his run to the Dubai final. His win over No. 45 Navone was his third against Top-50 players since Dubai in February in 10 outings. 

Griekspoor fired 14 aces and tallied 26 winners to overcome 29 unforced errors. He converted all three of his break-point opportunities against Navone (24-24), who was denied in his quest to become the fifth Argentine to break the 25-win barrier this season.

Next, Griekspoor (15-21) will await the winner of Thursday’s second-round match between No. 2 seed Jiri Lehecka of Czechia and No. 55 Raphael Collignon of Belgium.

• Just three days after winning an ATP Challenger 125 event in Olbia, Italy, 83rd-ranked Damir Dzumhur was back on court – in a different country but playing again on a hard-court surface. The 34-year-old Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina ran his winning streak to six with his hard-fought 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-2 victory over No. 95 Dino Prizmic of Croatia in two hours and 43 minutes on Court 1.

Dzumhur finished with 25 winners to 33 unforced errors, converted three of 11 break points and drew even on points with Prizmic. Each had 102.

Next, Dzumhur will face No. 41 Zizou Bergs of Belgium on Thursday for a berth in Friday’s quarterfinals against No. 58 Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany. Struff defeated 178th-ranked lucky loser Gauthier Onclin of Belgium, 6-4, 6-2, during Wednesday evening’s final Centre Court match, behind 13 aces and 26 winners overall.

• In doubles, No. 1 seeds Guido Andreozzi of Argentina and Manuel Guinard of France punched their quarterfinal ticket with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Belgian wild cards Michael Geerts and Joran Vliegen in one hour and six minutes on Court 1. The Argentine/French duo dropped just three points on their first serve and saved all three break points they faced.

Next, Andreozzi and Guinard will face Nicolas Barrientos of Colombia and David Pel of the Netherlands in the quarterfinal round.

• Also, in the quarterfinal round, No. 2 seeds Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos of Brazil were upset by the Argentine/American team of Francisco Cerundolo and Alex Michelsen, 6-3, 7-5, in one hour and 19 minutes on Court 1.

Cerundolo and Michelsen combined to hit six aces and won 80 percent (33 of 41) of their first-serve points. They saved the only break point they faced and broke the Brazilian team’s serve twice in three tries. Cerundolo and Michelsen out pointed Luz and Matos 60-48.

Next, Cerundolo and Michelsen will face either Constantin Franzen of Germany and Robert Galloway of the United States or Belgians Raphael Collignon and David Goffin, who play their quarterfinal match Thursday evening on Centre Court.

Wednesday’s European Open results

Thursday’s European Open order of play

By the numbers

Francisco Cerundolo improved to 12-1 versus players ranked outside Top 100 this season. He’s the first Argentine quarterfinalist at the European Open since Diego Schwartzman in 2021.

“Quotable …”

“It’s fantastic to be back playing in Brussels in front of my home crowd. The past few weeks haven’t been easy because of my injury, but I drew so much energy from the crowd [Tuesday]. … I’m looking forward to the rest of the week with confidence.”

– Raphael Collignon of Belgium, during his on-court interview Tuesday evening after winning his first-round match to advance to Thursday’s second round.

 

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