Home » ATP Feliciano Lopez completes his journey in Barcelona and competes against Roger Federer

Feliciano Lopez’s remarkable run at the Barcelona Open came to an end in a nail-biting 7-6, 6-7, 6-0 defeat to David Goffin in the first round. After winning the second set, the Belgian maintained his composure and defeated the veteran to win the match.

Lopez was playing in his 43rd and final Barcelona Open match before retiring later this year. This was his 22nd and final appearance at his cherished tournament. Thus, the Spaniard joined Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors as the third player with 22 appearances at a single ATP event.

At his prized US Open, Connors welcomed 22 runs, and Federer followed like after 22 Wimbledon campaigns. The Spaniard, who made his Barcelona Open debut in 1998 at the age of 16, and has only missed one match since 2001, is now the third player on the exclusive list!

After Wimbledon 2001, Feliciano rose to the top-100 and remained there for more than 19 years, experiencing a wonderful run and displaying his enduring class.

For 22 years, Feliciano Lopez participated in the Barcelona Open.

With two quarterfinal appearances in 2011 and 2012 and matches against well-known compatriots David Ferrer, Rafael Nadal, Tommy Robredo, and Juan Carlos Ferrer, Lopez is 21-22 in Barcelona.

Despite not performing well at the renowned clay-court tournament, Feliciano hasn’t won back-to-back matches in Barcelona since 2012. Nevertheless, he returns every year. In his previous campaign, the seasoned player had a chance to advance to the second round after keeping up with Goffin for the first two sets before losing steam.

Feliciano hit 11 aces, although his prospects were hampered after connecting on 45% of his first serves. He successfully completed all three break attempts and was unsuccessful in six of the 14 possibilities given to him by his opponent, including three consecutive service breaks in the decisive game.

Feliciano came back at love in game six to turn things around after David got off to a solid start with an early break. Lopez reached 5-5 after Goffin won another return game at 4-4 and then lost service while serving the match.

In game 11, the seasoned player stopped four break points and won up until the tie break. David scored five points in a row after falling behind 3-2 to finish the opening in an hour. In the first eight games of the second set, there was little difference between them. Then, Lopez hit a forehand winner down the line to break serve and take the lead at 5-4.

In game eleven, when serving for the set, the Spaniard was broken at love, keeping the Belgian in the match. After one hour and fifty minutes, the set was tied, and Lopez won it 7-4 to force a deciding. At the outset of the decisive set, a left-hander committed a double fault, losing serve and signaling the beginning of his doom.

With a service winner to move to 5-0 and deliver a bagel, Goffin won all six games.