Receiving a second serve at 30-40, Wawrinka licked up the 156kh/h relative treacle delivered from the Canadian’s racquet.
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Milos Raonic has staved off a late charge from 2014 champion and No. 4 seed Stan Wawrinka at Rod Laver Arena on Monday to book himself a place in the Australian Open quarterfinals, winning an epic five-set battle 6-4 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-3.
Raonic sealed the victory with a simple volley into an open court to set up a quarter-final against France’s Gael Monfils, an appropriate end to a contest where he came to the net 83 times and won 54 points. Raonic saved both, but overhit successive inside-out forehands as Wawrinka broke for 6-5 prompting girlfriend Donna Vekic to spring from her seat in support. Zhang said that since Stosur, who played a lefthander in the first round, needed a practice player, she and her coach hit with the Australian.
The wager I like here, though, revolves around the first set being a quick one: in all seven of their meetings, the opener has never been closer than 6-4, with three ending 6-1, two 6-2 and one apiece at 6-3 and 6-4. “A lot of emotions, yeah things sort of changing all of the time in my head”, he said. You need to be 100 percent to have a chance.
Raonic has refined his net game and showed it with a pair of exquisite backhand volleys for break point.
“I felt like I was doing well up there”. “I think that gave me some kind of calm and some kind of peace inside. Keep getting yourself up there'”. If history can repeat itself, Azarenka would be well on her way to her first Grand Slam final since the 2013 U.S. Open. “At the same time, as happy as I am, my mind is already on what’s the process for my next challenge”.
“I’m looking forward to it. She’s such a fighter and such a nice person”, said the Belarusian, looking ahead to the test on Wednesday.
Raonic was cruising with a lead of two sets to love when his game suddenly derailed.
Raonic reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2014 and he has struck form again in Australia, out-powering Wawrinka with 82 winners and 24 aces.
“I feel like I’m putting in the work and I’m getting the results from it”, Raonic told reporters.
“Sometimes you have a brain freeze, if I can call it that”, Djokovic said, explaining how he wasn’t in rhythm and was trying to finish off points quickly. I was just able to make a few more balls.
This is the first time that Monfils has entered the quarter final in Melbourne.
The two players are a contrast in style.
“He’s playing well. He’s very entertaining and he’s very hard to play”.
And that is just fine with Raonic.
“It was a tough match”, Murray said, per Kevin Mitchell of the Guardian.
“But definitely on the court tonight I was more emotional than normal”.
“I always say, people think is like why I will throw myself to the floor for nothing”.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. Momentum was absolutely in the two-time Grand Slam champion’s favor.
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Andy Murray would have pulled out of the Australian Open had there been any doubts about the health of his father-in-law Nigel Sears.
