On Thursday, world No. 58 David Goffin will faceworld No. 19 Diego Schwartzman with a spot in the quarterfinals of the European Open on the line. This tournament is being played in Belgium, which means that Goffin will have the crowd decidedly in his favor. In a match-up that has already favored the 31-year-old in the past, the hometown boost should give the Belgian even more of an edge here.
As solid as Schwartzman is, he hasn’t showed that of late. The Argentine hasn’t won a match since defeating Alexei Popyrin in the second round of the US Open, and that was back on September 3. It has been over a month since the 30-year-old has tasted victory, while Goffin has won five matches in that span.
Goffin also had the luxury of getting his feet wet in this event, as he defeated Gilles Arnaud Bailly in his opening match. Goffin was far from impressive in that performance, but he was still able to come away with a win and get himself comfortable with match play before taking on a tough opponent. Now, the Belgian will look to win his third tour-level match in a row in this head-to-head series.