David Goffin takes Metz title

Metz: Belgian eighth seed David Goffin won his second ATP tour title in Metz on Sunday beating Portuguese sixth seed Joao Sousa in straight sets.

Goffin, who has jumped to 45th in the world rankings from 113 at the end of last season, came through 6-4, 6-3 against 39th-ranked Sousa, and is expected to reach a career-high ranking of 35 on Monday.

Victory in the Metz final marked his 50th career tour-level win after a successful run since his first round defeat against Andy Murray at Wimbledon.

The 23-year-old from Liege has won 34 of his past 36 matches, including his maiden ATP World Tour trophy in Kitzbuehel in July and three ATP Challenger Tour titles.

His only defeats since Wimbledon have been at the Winston Salem and the US Open.

Goffin, who eliminated home hope and top seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga en route to the final, once again dominated Sousa whom he also beat at the US Open.

A solid serve enabled Goffin to break his opponent`s serve in both sets and sealed victory on his second match point after 1hr 14min on court in northeastern France.