Goffin’s career ends in tears in Brussels as Bergs and Lehecka reach the quarterfinals

David Goffin’s career ended on Thursday at the Brussels ATP 250, in front of the crowd that had carried him through his final week. No. 5 seed Alex Michelsen of the United States beat the Belgian wildcard 6-3, 6-4 in the second round, closing the career of the most successful man in Belgian tennis history.

Michelsen, 22 and ranked No. 37, had beaten Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri 6-1, 6-2 in the first round. He reached his fifth quarterfinal of the season and will face Arthur Fils of France, the top seed.

Goffin, 35 and ranked No. 657, had extended his farewell on Wednesday by coming back from 3-0 down in the deciding set to beat Swiss lucky loser Remy Bertola 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. That win meant he had won at least one tour-level match in 16 straight seasons. Against Michelsen, there was no second escape.

After the match, Goffin was in tears as the tournament played a tribute video featuring Rafael Nadal, Richard Gasquet, Lucas Pouille and his family.

“I’m relieved, at peace with myself and very happy with what I experienced this week in Brussels,” Goffin told RTBF. “The crowd turned out, and I felt some beautiful emotions. I was tense before the week started because I really wanted to show some good tennis one last time. I think I managed it. It wasn’t a given a few weeks ago, but I did everything to make it happen this way. I really enjoyed it, so I’m leaving at peace and relieved.”

Asked to sum up an 18-year career, he chose one word. “It went by very fast. The word that comes back most is emotions. But also the people I met and the moments we shared.”

A farewell with Nadal and his family

He leaves with a record no Belgian man has come close to. Goffin was the first Belgian to break into the top 10, to qualify for the ATP Finals, to beat a world No. 1 and to reach a Masters 1000 final, at Cincinnati in 2019. He peaked at No. 7 in 2017, the season he beat Nadal and Roger Federer on his way to the final of the ATP Finals.

He holds the Open Era records among Belgian men for wins (358), titles (six) and tour-level quarterfinals (64). He reached four Grand Slam quarterfinals and led Belgium to the Davis Cup final in 2015 and 2017. At the European Open, his best result was a run to the semifinals in 2016.

Bergs keeps the Belgian flag flying

Bergs, the No. 6 seed, made sure Belgium still has a player in the last eight. He beat Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina 6-2, 6-4 in their first tour-level meeting. The win was his 25th of the season, making him only the fourth Belgian man in the Open Era to reach 25 tour-level wins in more than one season, after Xavier Malisse, Olivier Rochus and Goffin.

Bergs, ranked No. 41 and the Eastbourne champion this year, will face Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany in the quarterfinals.

No. 2 seed Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic beat Belgium’s Raphael Collignon 6-4, 6-2. Collignon, a semifinalist here last year, called a medical timeout in the second set for treatment on his abdomen, while trailing 1-2 and about to serve.

Lehecka, ranked No. 20 and a finalist at this event in each of the past two years, is only the second man to reach the quarterfinals in three straight editions, after Diego Schwartzman. He now leads Collignon 2-0, having also beaten him 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 at last year’s US Open. Collignon, ranked No. 55, had beaten American qualifier Nishesh Basavareddy 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the first round.

Lehecka will face Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open.