Raonic downed Yen-Hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday in the second round of the Rogers Cup, while fellow Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Vasek Pospisil were eliminated.
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The 25-year-old opened the match with a 235-km/h serve that went off the frame of Donaldson’s racquet. Much to the chagrin of all the home supporters, two more Canadian wild cards also saw their tournament run end in the second round.
Raonic, from nearby Thornhill, Ont., will face American Jared Donaldson in the third round of the tournament.
He broke Donaldson on the teenager’s first service game, then Raonic pumped his fist and looked at the crowd.
Overall, Raonic won 81 per cent of his first serve points, and 73 per cent of his second.
Once, while at the net during the second set, Raonic hit a stab volley, his body twirling on the court afterward. He charged the net looking for a volley after a serve, but pulled his racket out of the way of Donaldson’s return – to the stunned gasps of his fans – to let the ball sail just out of bounds. “I’m creating some opportunities and, you know, I’m going for the shots”, Raonic said. “It was never for anybody else’s opinion and these kind of things. That always helps me”.
Not only did Goffin suffer a 7-6 2-6 6-4 ouster, but was also at loggerheads with the chair umpire during the two-hour and 14-minute battle on Grandstand.
Raonic is ready to be the best player in the world and win grand slam titles, and after being a finalist at Wimbledon on the grass, he had no trouble adjusting to the hard court surface.
“I love to play when it’s crowded, and if the crowd is for the other one, it’s fine”, said Monfils, adding with a smile: “I expect a very good match”. “I have to dictate”.
Monfils has won twice in his career against Raonic, once in 2011 and again two years later. “He can do a lot of things”. You chop the ball and move it around quite a bit, and got him frustrated. “Hopefully I can make it count this time around. I’m going to have to continue doing that”.
Although many top players have backed out of playing at the Rio Games – including Roger Federer and Canadian Milos Raonic – because of the potential risk of being exposed to the Zika virus or lingering injuries, Djokovic confirmed on Wednesday that he was committed to playing for Serbia at the global event. Although he seemed exhausted and sometimes frustrated in the heat of the centre court at York University’s Aviva Centre, Djokovic insisted that it was worth playing in Canada despite his busy ATP schedule.
“He’s one of the best players right now”, Lu said. Djokovic, the tournament victor in 2007, 2011 and 2012, will face fifth-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, a 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-4 victor over American Ryan Harrison.
“I’m used to playing on the same side as him for the last couple years, so it was the first time we’ve ever played each other on a doubles court”, Pospisil said.
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“The best part is I feel is that there are kids after the match saying ‘You’re in my heart”. Although Sock was only the No. 16 seed, Wawrinka doesn’t take any of his opponents lightly.
