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Raonic beats Monfils, advances to Australian Open semi final

“I am just a competitor and I want win every point and sometimes I feel I can have it, so I just fly”.

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Canada’s Milos Raonic earned a berth in his second career Grand Slam semifinal on Wednesday with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory against Gael Monfils of France at the Australian Open.

Angelique Kerber won five consecutive games in the second set and saved five set points to beat two-time champion Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 7-5 in the Australian Open quarter-finals.

The No. 23-seeded Monfils, a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open, delighted the Margaret Court Arena crowd with his lunging, leaping style of play.

“It’s like something snaps in my mind”.

Monfils needed a medical timeout early in the match to seek treatment for the fingers on his right hand from his airborne volley.

Raonic has made it to one Grand Slam semi final before – Wimbledon 2014 – where he lost to Roger Federer in straight sets.

“People need to understand that if I dive, it’s because I know I can dive”.

Ferrer will take on another American, 10th-seeded John Isner for a place in the quarter-finals, while Monfils will battle the victor of the match between Dominic Sela and Andrey Kuznetsov. It’s great, I’m very happy, but to be honest I’m already focused on my quarter-final.

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Monfils won 81 percent of his first serves and he said it was important factor against Kuznetsov.

Canada's Milos Raonic celebrates after winning his quarter-final match against France's Gael Monfils at the Australian Open Wednesday