Milos Raonic – Canada Fan Blog an (unofficial) blog about tennis and Canadian player Milos Raonic

Raonic outlasts Baghdatis in Stockholm

Milos Raonic defeated 2009 Champion Marcos Baghdatis in the first round of the If Stockholm Open today, 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 6-4.

Raonic's game seemed perfectly suited to the fast and predictable indoor hardcourts. The serve was most effective when Milos had to find his way out of trouble, keeping his emotions in check while still being able to hit big. The heavy groundstrokes were certainly working for Raonic, dictating play and keeping Baghdatis on the run. Break chances were something of a rarity during the first set, with each player only able to earn one each and neither being able to convert. When it came down to a tiebreak, Raonic again had to rely on his serve to get him out of a tight spot and put the first set away.

With Baghdatis serving at 2-3 in the second, Raonic hit a perfect backhand up the line to earn to the first break points of the set. Baghdatis won four points in a row from 15-40 to keep the match break-free. Raonic continued to hit his forehands with a lot of pace, racking up the winners while keeping the errors under control. Baghdatis was applying some serious pressure with Milos serving at 5-5, but Raonic kept his cool and served his way to safety yet again. Surprise: another tiebreak! Milos got the first mini-break advantage, but Marcos got on a roll after hitting a spectacular forehand on the run when it looked like he was totally out of the point. This match was going the distance.

It wouldn't have been shocking if the match carried on without any service breaks and into a deciding tiebreak. But at 2-2 in the third, the unthinkable happened: Milos got the break. Not only did he take the lead, but he promptly followed it up with a hold at love. Truly impressive. On top of that, Raonic held at love again serving at 4-3. Raonic wasn't the greatest at the net throughout the match, but he made up for it on match point by holding his ground and using every inch of his reach to keep the ball in play and force the error from Baghdatis.

Raonic faced one break point, which came in the first set. Baghdatis saved the first four break points against him, but not the fifth. There wasn't a whole lot between the two during the match, but that break was absolutely crucial. I'm sure neither player wanted to try their luck in another tiebreak. Also, Milos hit 22 aces. He's back. It helps to be playing indoors. We may see the return of the '20+ Aces = Win' rule in this tournament.

In other news, the more astute viewer may have noticed that Milos was sporting a stylish Lacoste headband during the match. Thoughts? Perhaps more importantly, Raonic had a strip of kinesio tape running up the inside of his right leg from his knee to his thigh. This is usually just a preventative measure for muscle strains or hyper-extension.

Raonic will face Philipp Petzschner in the secound round on Wednesday. Petzschner defeated Raonic earlier this year on grass in Halle, where the German made a run to the final in front a home crowd. Look for Milos to even up the head to head record with some blistering serves on the indoor hardcourt.

-multi