CINCINNATI - A rested David Goffin advanced to his first ATP Masters 1000 final with a straight set victory over Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the Cincinnati Masters on Saturday.
The 16th seeded Belgian prevailed 6-3 6-4 to make his 13th ATP Tour final. He will play the winner of Saturday's later semi-final between top seeded Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev.
"I'm really happy," said Goffin. "I've played the best tennis here in the past few years... It's a great moment for me." A quick break saw Goffin surge to a 4-1 lead with a backhand winner down the line in the first set. Gasquet grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second set before Goffin claimed five of the next six games.
He won the set and the match when a Gasquet backhand was long. Goffin had received a walkover into the semi-finals after Yoshihito Nishioka was forced to withdraw due to food poisoning.
"It was almost a day off, so I was fresh and physically 100% today to play against Richard," the Belgian said.
Goffin added that he was "lost" after the walkover.
"I didn't know what to do. Do I have another practice session, go to the physio and have some treatment? I didn't know," the Belgian said.
"I decided to go on the court for some practice and do what I normally do after."