'Incredible' Milos Suffocates Stefanos

The #NextGenATP of Canada -- Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime -- bowed out in the first round at the Australian Open. But Milos Raonic, the steady hand of Canadian men's tennis for the past decade, made sure on Friday night that the country will have a presence in the second week of the season's first Grand Slam.

The 29-year-old Raonic served his way past 2019 semi-finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 7-5, 6-4, 7-6(2) in Margaret Court Arena. The Greek faithful were out in full force for Tsitsipas, belting "Stefanos Tsitsipas, olé, olé, olé, olé, olé, olé".

But over and over again, Raonic quieted the overwhelmingly pro-Tsitsipas crowd with his big game. Not that he faced much trouble on his serve; Raonic won nearly 90 per cent of his first-serve points and never faced a break point against the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion.

"Today was an incredible match for me," Raonic said. "I was very happy with how things went. I enjoy the energy of playing on this court and it's great to be healthy and playing well. I can take a lot of pleasure in this win."

The 32nd-seeded Raonic, who ended 2017 at World No. 3, is through to another fourth round in Melbourne. He's made at least the quarter-finals in four of past five years. He next plays Marin Cilic, a five-set winner over Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.

from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/3aCvw0w