Lucas Pouille has once again reminded the world why he is one of the most promising young players on the ATP Tour following his 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-6(7), win over world No. 13 David Goffin.
Towards the end of the two-and-a-half hour marathon, the world No.58 fended off four match points to grab his fifth win over a top-20 player this season (his second over Goffin). The latest triumph comes after he recently reached his maiden ATP final at the Bucharest Open. Following his latest win in Madrid, Pouille talked to Ubitennis.net about his sensational breakthrough.
“Well, it was a tough,” the 22-year-old said after his epic win.
“It was very tense, a lot of intensity in the match. After winning the first set it was tough because he was playing slightly more aggressive.”
Throughout the entire match, Pouille was encouraged by an army of fans in what was an electrifying atmosphere at court 3 of the Caja Magica. The entire stadium was packed from start to finish, a trait which is more commonly associated with clashes between the home players.
“The crowd was unbelievable, they were amazing and helped push me a lot during the match.” A thankful Pouille said.
The win over Goffin might not be the Frenchman’s best win of 2016, however, he has still rated the triumph as ‘one of his best ever’. In terms of rankings, the best result for Pouille with his dismissal of world No.8 David Ferrer in the third round of the Miami Open.
“I think it is quite similar, I defeated Ferrer, my first top-10 player. Then I defeated Gasquet in Monte-Carlo,” he told Ubitennis about his recent triumph.
“Goffin isn’t in the top ten at the moment, however, he is one of the best players on the tour right now after reaching two consecutive semifinals on the tour.”
“I think it was one of my best wins ever.”
As he becomes a regular feature on the main stage of the ATP Tour, the confidence of the 22-year-old is at an all-time high. This year he currently holds a win-loss of 13-8 on the tour.
“Yea, every time you win a match, your confidence is higher,” he said.
“After such a match like this, there is even more confidence for me now and for the rest of the season.”
The next step in the ambitious plans of the Frenchman is to fulfil one of his childhood dreams, winning an ATP Tour title. He came agonizingly close in Bucharest, losing in the final to the more experienced Fernando Verdasco.
“I hope to win an ATP tournament before the end of the year,” the world No.58 said about his 2016 goals.
Pouille is the youngest French player ranked inside the top-100. Judging by his recent performance on the tour, he is already living up to the media portrayal of him being the future of men’s tennis in France.
