Milos RaonicARND WIEGMANN/Reuters
David Goffin kept up his remarkable form as he beat fourth-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4 Friday to reach the semifinals of the Swiss Indoors.
It was Goffin's 42nd victory in 44 matches since his straight-sets loss to Andy Murray at Wimbledon, and the first time the 23-year-old Belgian has beaten a top-10 player.
"It's one of my nicest victories, if not the nicest," the seventh-seeded Goffin said. "It's really pleasing. I can't really comprehend what I've achieved since Wimbledon: more than 40 victories, two titles ... I think I'll only realize what I've achieved when I'm on holiday."
Goffin broke early on but was broken back when serving for the opening set, shortly after some lights went out and halted the match for approximately 20 minutes.
The seventh-seeded Goffin saved another break point at the start of the second set before breaking in the penultimate game before serving to level the match. Goffin took a decisive lead in the seventh game of the final set and he threatened to break again but Raonic saved two match points — one with his 21st ace.
The Belgian finally converted his fourth match point when Raonic returned a powerful serve long. Goffin has won four Challenger and two ATP titles this year and played with confidence against the Canadian.
"I tried to make the most of my game after the lights went out," Raonic said. "I came back trying to serve harder. and hoping to find rhythm that way. I created some opportunities in the start of both sets, but I didn't make the most of them.
"He's been playing well. He has confidence in the tight moments due to how he's played the last four five months."
Goffin next faces teenager Borna Coric, who produced more emphatic proof of his potential when he beat 14-times grand slam champion Rafa Nadal in straight sets 6-2 7-6 (4).
The Spaniard was unrecognizable in the first set as he offered no resistance. Nadal's timing improved marginally in the second but twice Coric, already being called 'Baby Djokovic' because of similarities with world number one Novak Djokovic, served to stay in the set and held his nerve when a loose forehand from his opponent gave him two match points.
Coric needed only one of them, forcing a weary Nadal to send a defensive forehand wide.
Aftewards, Nadal announced he would miss the ATP World Tour Finals next month after opting to have surgery to remove his appendix.
"I'm not going to play Paris or London, I'm not competitive enough," said the 28-year-old who has been treating his appendicitis with antibiotics.
Roger Federer or Grigor Dimitrov will play either Ivo Karlovic or Benjamin Becker in the other semifinal.
The result hurts Raonic's chances of earning a qualifying spot for the season-ending ATP event in London. Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., will need a strong showing next week in Paris as he battles Andy Murray, David Ferrer, Kei Nishikori and Dimitrov for the last three spots in the eight-man field.
Raonic, who is 45-17 on the season and currently ninth in the points race, knows he needs to take advantage of his last chance at the Bercy arena starting Monday.
"I'm hoping in these next few days I can pick up my physicality by working in the gym," Raonic said. "All I can do is fight to the last point, whenever that might be. Hopefully it is later rather than earlier in Paris."
Canada's Vasek Pospisil will play in the men's doubles semifinals in Basel with temporary partner Nenad Zimonjic — the former partner of Toronto's Daniel Nestor — on Saturday.
Pospisil, from Vancouver, teamed up with American Jack Sock to win the Wimbledon title this season. They will play next week in Paris in hopes of qualifying for the year-end event in doubles.
Files from Reuters were used in this report