How often do players meet twice in one event? Goffin and Rinderknech just did

An extraordinary scheduling twist unfolded at the China Open when David Goffin and Arthur Rinderknech met for the second time in only two days—and within the same tournament. Remarkably, Goffin won their initial match, but just 48 hours later, he was eliminated by his French colleague, who now remains in the competition for the Round of 16 on Saturday. How did this rare rematch occur?

Both Rinderknech and Goffin competed in the qualifying rounds to secure a spot in the China Open main draw. It was the decisive qualifying match, and the former world No. 7 put on an imposing performance to take the victory 6-3, 6-2, earning five breaks while only conceding his service twice.

Goffin won his spot in the main draw and was drawn to face Argentina's Tomás Martín Etcheverry (No. 55). However, the South American was unable to recover from a muscle injury that had forced him to retire during his quarterfinal match at the Hangzhou Open.

Etcheverry's spot was freed up, and the highest-ranked qualifier who had lost—a "lucky loser"—would take the spot. That player was Rinderknech (No. 54). This guaranteed a rematch with Goffin just two days later, though this time in the main draw. The result? A victory for the Frenchman, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, earning revenge and advancing to the Round of 16 of the ATP 500, where he will face the 3rd seed, Alex de Minaur.

Match Statistics Goffin vs. Rinderknech