Unusual Moment in Beijing: Rinderknech Gets Lucky Loser Spot, Will Face Goffin Again, His Qualifying Opponent

After a loss in the qualifying rounds, Arthur Rinderknech has been given a second chance against David Goffin, his most recent opponent.

Arthur Rinderknech had hoped to reach the main draw of the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing. After a win against Nishesh Basavareddy, the Frenchman ultimately fell in the final round of qualifying to David Goffin (6-3, 6-2).

The Belgian, still a dangerous player, was set to face Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round, but the Argentine, forced to retire in the quarterfinals against Corentin Moutet in Hangzhou, did not recover in time.

Etcheverry therefore withdrew, opening the door for a lucky loser, who turned out to be none other than Rinderknech. So, the Frenchman gets a reprieve and will face his qualifying-round executioner, David Goffin, and will attempt to defeat his opponent for the first time in his career.

The two men will face off for the fourth time on the main tour, and the world No. 54 has yet to take a set from the 2017 ATP Finals runner-up so far.