Den Bosch, Jun 11 (IANS): Italian tennis player Luca Nardi’s tour-level debut on grass proved to be worth the wait on Monday at the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands. After rain forced the start of the Day 1 schedule at the ATP 250 to be delayed, the Italian downed two-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist David Goffin 7-5, 7-5 in an absorbing first-round clash.

Nardi handled the blustery and damp conditions well on the Dutch grass, wrapping his victory against the former World No. 7 in two hours and five minutes.

“For sure, the biggest challenge for me was to adapt on grass, because I didn’t play too many matches on grass,” said Nardi in his on-court interview as quoted by the ATP Tour.

“This was maybe my second or third match [overall]. Playing in these conditions, with the wind and the cold and a bit wet on the ground [was difficult], but I think I played a good match and am very happy,” he said.

Nardi kept his cool under pressure to save seven of 10 break points he faced against Goffin, according to Infosys ATP Stats. With his win, he avenged his 2023 loss to Goffin on home soil in Rome and drew level at 1-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

A competitor at the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, Nardi will take on seventh seed Sebastian Korda or qualifier Tristan Schoolkate next in the Netherlands. The 20-year-old, who upset then-World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells in March, is now 4-5 for the season at tour-level.