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David Goffin stuns world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in ATP Finals opener

By Harry Floyd

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 13: David Goffin of Belgium plays a forehand in his Singles match against Rafael Nadal of Spain during day two of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at O2 Arena on November 13, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 13: David Goffin of Belgium plays a forehand in his Singles match against Rafael Nadal of Spain during day two of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at O2 Arena on November 13, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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David Goffin opens his run at the 2017 ATP Finals in London with a major upset. The Belgian stuns world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in his opening match.

David Goffin is appearing in just his second ever ATP Finals.

The Belgian tennis star is the current world No. 8 in men’s singles tennis. In London this week, he saw himself up against world No. 1 Rafael Nadal during the first match of the round robin action. Goffin defeats Nadal for the first time in his tennis career.

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Rumors swirled surrounding the health of the world No. 1 coming into play at The O2 Arena. Nadal withdrew from the 2017 Paris Masters last week prior to his quarterfinals match.

David Goffin earns his first ATP victory over Rafael Nadal on Monday at the 2017 ATP Finals.

Their meeting in London would be the third between Goffin and Nadal on the 2017 ATP World Tour. Both of their previous matches this year took place on clay courts. Nadal, considered “The King of Clay” by everyone in tennis, was 2-0 against Goffin this year.

The back and forth action of the first set was simply a prelude to their second. Taking both of the first two sets to tiebreak, the tennis stars proved that neither wanted to relent at any point. It would be Goffin, however, who would take home the victory. The Belgian tennis star ends the match in the third set, winning 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-4.

Next: Top 10 Men's Singles Players

Also winning his opener in London was Roger Federer. The Swiss great is a six-time champion at the end of year tournament. With the absence of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, however, Federer must be considered the favorite to win the 2017 ATP Finals. He squares off against rising star Alexander Zverev in his next match at The O2 Arena.

David Goffin and other opening winners set themselves up to be in a strong position during the round robin stage. Nadal and others will need to rebound from their losses right away. The world No. 1 appeared to hang tough despite the talk surrounding his injury. He does, however, find himself in a hole after his London opener. Check back for updates and previews of all of the action at the 2017 ATP Finals in London.

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