Goffin sails through in Monte Carlo, Simon sets up Djokovic clash
David Goffin cruised into the Monte Carlo Masters second round with a 6-2 6-1 victory over fellow Belgian Steve Darcis on Sunday, while Gilles Simon booked a meeting with Novak Djokovic.
World number 14 Goffin was the only seed in action on a day taken up predominantly by qualifiers and swiftly stamped his authority on the match, winning five games on the spin to race into a 5-1 lead in the opening set.
Despite squandering three set points on Darcis' serve, Goffin cemented his lead in the eighth game, before again making a strong start to the second set.
Goffin had the match at his mercy after opening up a 4-0 advantage and wrapped up the win on his second match point to become the first man into the second round.
.@David__Goffin with some clay court mastery #MCROLEXMASTERS https://t.co/4vCzlFB3P2
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 16, 2017
Joao Sousa of Portugal swiftly followed Goffin, beating Germany's Florian Mayer 6-3 6-2 in 63 minutes, before Simon set up a clash with world number two Djokovic.
The Frenchman made three breaks of serve to Malek Jaziri's one in both sets on his way to sealing a 6-2 6-2 victory.