Alexandre Muller started the Asian swing strongly, defeating world No. 10 Karen Khachanov in three sets in the first round in Beijing. However, he was unable to build on that big win, falling in straight sets to Fabian Marozsan in the second round. This leaves him without back-to-back wins since ATP Hamburg in May.
The Frenchman has only 23 wins this year and has lost more matches than he has won. Still, this remains the best season of his career, thanks to a strong start that included a title in Hong Kong and a runner-up finish in Rio de Janeiro. These early-season results have helped him maintain a solid position in the top 50, despite a weaker second half of the year.
In his current quest to regain form and finish what has been a successful year on a high note, Muller will make his third appearance at the Shanghai Masters. He lost in the first round on his debut in 2023 and reached the third round in 2024.
David Goffin, on the other hand, has consistently struggled from the start of the year, winning only 12 matches against 23 losses over the past nine months. This has made 2025 one of the worst seasons of his career. The poor run has undone much of the late-season work he did in 2024 to improve his ranking and currently puts him on track t
With the indoor swing approaching, including a tournament in Brussels, Goffin still has a chance to salvage his year. He will need to quickly rediscover his form and confidence, starting with the Shanghai Masters this week. It is not a bad venue for a comeback, as he is a two-time quarterfinalist at this event, including in 2024.
Head-to-head: Alexandre Muller leads 1-0. While David Goffin is generally the more accomplished and stronger player on hard courts, his inconsistent form this year makes it difficult to trust him against Muller, even though Muller himself is entirely unpredictable.
