At 2-5 down in the first set, many fans on Court Suzanne Lenglen could be forgiven for thinking that David Goffin was in for a second titanic battle in as many rounds at Roland Garros.
But the Belgian had other ideas, reeling off 15 consecutive games to turn the tables on French wild card Corentin Moutet, before securing his place in the third round, for the fourth consecutive year, with a 7-5, 6-0, 6-1 victory.
"Little by little, I realized what [Moutet] did well and what he didn't do that well," shared Goffin. "I was able to counter him and adjust myself and get into the match."
Goffin, who recovered from two sets to love down to beat Robin Haase in the first round, broke serve on eight occasions and hit 33 winners in the two-hour, four-minute contest. The 2016 quarter-finalist has now recorded 13 victories at Roland Garros, tying Xavier Malisse in third place on the all-time list for most match wins by a Belgian man at the event.
The Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell semi-finalist will face France's Gael Monfils for a place in the last 16. "This is probably the tournament [Monfils] is best at... He will have the public with him on a large court. He's very difficult to control and to handle and to overcome," said Goffin.
Goffin owns a 2-1 FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead over Monfils, who defeated Slovakia's Martin Klizan 6-2, 6-4, 6-4. The No. 32 seed, who reached the semi-finals in 2008, won 81 per cent of net points (9/11) throughout the one-hour, 55-minute match.
"We call him the geometer," Monfils said of Goffin. "He's super accurate, stronger physically, much stronger than many people think. As I say, he is a solid player in the Top 10. He has shown it, and he's probably not the best third-round opponent you can get."
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Pablo Carreno Busta booked his place in the third round at Roland Garros on Wednesday, overcoming Argentina's Federico Delbonis 7-6(0), 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4.
The 2017 quarter-finalist hit 41 winners and won 75 per cent of first-serve points to advance after three hours and 17 minutes. Carreno Busta improves to 10-4 on European clay this season, building on his recent run to the last eight at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia.
After defeating Delbonis for the second time at Roland Garros (2016), Carreno Busta narrows his FedEx ATP Head2Head series deficit to against the Argentine to 2-4.
The No. 10 seed will meet Gazprom Hungarian Open champion Marco Cecchinato for a spot in the Round of 16. The Italian won 54 per cent of return points to beat lucky loser Marco Trungelliti 6-1, 7-6(1), 6-1.
Did You Know?
On his Grand Slam debut at 2012 Roland Garros, David Goffin became the first lucky loser to reach the Round of 16 at a Grand Slam since countryman Dick Norman (1995 Wimbledon). At the time, only eight lucky losers in the Open Era had reached the Round of 16 at a Grand Slam.