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

Milos Raonic defeats Dudi Sela in quarterfinals at Chennai, India – 6 January 2012

1st Set

The first set was straightforward for both players, with a first chance for Milos to earn a break point coming on Sela's serve at 3-3 on a seemingly easy overhand lob, but he missed to give Sela 40-30 and eventually that game.  Milos answered by winning his next service game at love.

Serving to stay in the set at 4-5, a forehand error to start off made it 0-15, but then 3 aces by Milos to made it 40-15 before Milos evened it up at 5-5.

Sela held the next game, and a shaky game by Milos in the following game allowed a tense deuce situation and a winner by Sela to get adv.  Milos did get it back to deuce (notably, by successfully pulling off one of those overhand lobs he missed earlier).  He finished off the 12th game with an ace and an unreturnable forehand to force a tiebreak.

An error on the first point in the tiebreak by Sela gave Milos a very early mini-break and a hold for the next two points made it 3-0 for Milos.  A forehand winner behind Sela put Milos up another mini-break to 4-0.  Dudi Sela did get on the board after that on an error by Milos, but Milos won his next two service points to make it 6-1.  Sela did get 3 of the next points on errors by Milos, but a successful challenge by Milos on the following point gave a replay on the point and the win for Milos at 7-6(4).

The first set was a good set, with consistent play by both players.  It was scary when Sela had set point at 5-6, and again when 3 of Milos' 5 set points slipped away, but in the end his powerful serve and forehand won out.

2nd Set

Raonic earned his first and only break-point and break of serve of the match in the 6th game of the 2nd set, winning the game on an error by Sela to make it 4-2.  The next two games were holds by both players.

During what would be the final game of the set, serving for the match at 5-4, Milos found himself down 15-40.  Mustering up that gumption we've seen so many times before, Milos rocked his serve to the end, including pulling off an ace on a second serve to achieve deuce... which, I think, shows amazing composure and confidence, but more importantly, skill, at such a point in the match!

Final score: 7-6(4), 6-3.

--wacb