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The word 'defeat' is missing in Goffin's dictionary

Mayer won Hamburg, his first ATP title, and entered the Top 30, but played only two matches on concrete at Australian Open. Goffin reached his 23rd consecutive victory, eliminating a title defender without losing his serve

Not even the defending champion could stop Goffin's great winning series. The Belgian had to go through the qualifiers, where he reached his 22dn win in a row, and Melzer dubbed him a title contender before the main tournament started. He must be psychic as he drew Goffin as his opponent right away. The difference in confidence could be seen best in break points conversion, where the Belgian used almost all of his, while the Austrian missed every single one of his. Melzer recently had a toe surgery and he just could not dominate, although he's had good experiences against Goffin in the past.

-David won 23 matches in a row. The word "defeat" is currently missing in his dictionary. Whenever he needed a good point, he found one- said Melzer after the defeat which he foretold before the tournament started, when he proclaimed the Belgian to be the favorite to win the title.

Goffin faced two break points right away, but soon had a 3-0 lead. Melzer failed to convert two more break points, and the set went to the Belgian. The second set ran along similar lines. Goffin took a 2-0 lead, saved two more break points and held the advantage to the end with his serve. He scored eight aces with average success on his first serve, but was not much worse on the second either. He saved six break points, and decided the match with a break in each set, the way confident players do it.

- When the summer started I did not expect such a series, not even close. I won three challengers, then an ATP title, and the series is still going on. Of course I'm happy. Three months ago I changed my coach and I played well against Melzer at Roland Garros, but he did better- commented Goffin on his winning series, and then the match itself:

- Conditions were difficult, with high humidity. I served very well and did not lose my serve, remained firm throughout the game.

Mayer came to the USA with a career high ranking and is in the Top 30 for the first time. When he reached the final in Vina del Mar at the start of the season, it was believed he would continue in that vein, but then came defeats. The Argentinian media just dismissed it all and diagnosed him as a player with too many ups and downs. He is 28 after all, and there are fewer and fewer of those who believe in him, though nobody denied he is talented.

Since he started in the ATP qualifications the Argentinian's form improved, as a few wins restored his confidence, and he also reached the quarterfinal twice. He made his mark at the Grand Slam level as well, scoring five victories in two tournaments. The high point came at Hamburg. It took six wins to get to the title, and the last ones were against Kohlschreiber and
Ferrer, both in third set tie break, an impossible task without confidence.

-This was my first ATP title. I've struggled with injuries a lot during my career, and this prevented me from training on a constant basis. This year I finally got into my rhythm, and Chile gave me the experience of playing in the final.  I did not have much experience at Series 500 tournaments, but luckily the matches were short so I had strength to play to the end. I also scored my first Top 10 victory, this was as good as it gets- said the Argentinian after winning the title in Hamburg.

Mayer's problem is that he hasn't played on concrete since Australian Open. He did not prepare for that one either, having arrived straight to Melbourne. Last year his countryman Pella beat him here, and he's had a negative score on concrete in recent years. Although significantly better ranked than Goffin, he is not a favorite here.

I missed out on Goffin-Melzer yesterday, even though everything suggested the Belgian would be the right choice. But I wanted to be sure. Melzer was defending the title and he's proved to be a tricky opponent for Goffin. But, it was an easy win in the end, characteristic of players bursting with confidence. I think this will be an easier task for him, even though this opponent has better ranking. Mayer has been doing a great job the last few months. The title in Hamburg was the greatest success - his first title and the first Top 10 win. It all sounds great, but the Argentinian didn't have a match for over a month. His last match on hard court was in Australian Open. On the other hand, Goffin is on a 23-match winning run. He's bursting with confidence, he's got good rhythm, and already did three matches here. That is a huge advantage that will cause problems for Mayer. He lost the first match last year to Pella here.