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

Raonic .vs. Wawrinka…

1st set:

On the first service game from Wawrinka, both players were tentative, he had to save a break point before he won the game. The next game was a little sloppy from both players as well, but Milos pulled it off. 1-1.

In the following game, some errors for both players, but they got to deuce. Milos got another break point and Wawrinka dbl faulted to go down a break early in the match.

In the next game Milos was still shakey. In fact, both players still seemed nervous. Milos was able to hold though with some big power shots.

A big, easy hold for Raonic followed, pounding the ball from the baseline on serve and the shot following the serve, as necessary.

A few errors from Wawrinka, again, seeming nervous, gave Raonic dbl break pt. He lost the first one by sending a forehand long, but Wawrinka played a very poor point on the next rally. With Milos on the defence, the point turned around when Milos read the play well and Wawrinka didn't quite read it so well... Wawrinka tried to salvage with a volley at the net from his feet, but wasn't able to. Raonic up two breaks of serve.

Raonic played very well in the next game. He seemed to dominate every aspect of the game, serving, forehand, volleys, even defence on the baseline. He picked corners on big power forehands, winning easily. 6-2 in the first set.

2nd set:

Wawrinka was still uneasy. His first service game of the second set went to deuce. The ump made a good call to replay the point that was played at deuce when someone in the crowd heckled Wawrinka during the serve. Wawrinka had words with the spectator, and during the changeover, the ump assured him it was taken care of. Wawrinka was able to hang on to win the game.

141 mph ace from Raonic to start the next game, which seemed to wake up the crowd a bit. He's still on fire. After getting to 40-0, he lost a couple of points on errors, 40-30. Another ace put away the game though, 1-1.

Wawrinka started ok in the next game, but some errors crept in and it went to deuce. Some good volleys and a forehand down the line on a quick change of direction by Stan won him the game though. Still on serve, though Wawrinks

139 mph ace to start the next service game from Raonic! Then two aces up the middle, he's only lost 1 pt on a first serve to this point! The final attempt at an ace went just long, but an error in the rally that followed from Wawrinka ended a quick game in Milos' favour.

Wawrinka served well in the next game, with a couple of good forehands and an ace to top It off. 3-2 for Wawrinka, still on serve.

A quick, easy service game followed from Raonic. He's now won 19 of 20 pts when he gets the first serve in.

Wawrinka held the next game, as did Milos (including another 2nd serve ace). 4-4, 2nd set.

Stanislas held again, rather routinely. He seems to have loosened up lately, and the games are flowing a little better, with a few more rallies. Still though, Milos is dominating in aces, 1st and 2nd service pts won, winners, etc. 5-4 for Wawrinka, Milos to serve.

Ace, but a couple of errors, and it's 30-30. A great point follows, with Wawrinka working hard to cover the court extrememly well, but makes an unfortunate error on the next point after Milos put the volley in the path of his famous backhand. Milos holds. 5-5.

Wawrinka did well to hold on the next game, hitting some nice shots and exposing Milos' backhand a little. He hit another ace to close out the game. A mediocre game from Milos and Stan followed, but Milos held, here comes a tiebreak.

Milos hit a weak shot into the net on Wawrinka's first service pt. He then hit one long in a rally, but put in a good 2nd serve that Wawrinka wasn't able to keep within the white lines. Milos constructed a good point to follow though, getting his mini-break back. 2-2. Another long rally, and Wawrinka hit one that looked to be just long, though his challenge reversed the decision and they replayed the point. Another decent rally was played, and then Wawrinka hit a ball long enough that hawk-eye couldn't save him. Milos up a mini-break. A good hold from Raonic on the next point, but Wawrinka passed him on the next pt. Back on serve.

Wawrinka hit another ace, very competitive to end this 2nd set. An error from Milos gave him another mini-hold, and we're still on serve. Milos committed an error on a rally following his 2nd serve. 4 consecutive pts for Wawrinka following Milos' 4 pt streak. Now Wawrinka has 2 set pts. He sends the rtn of serve long on the first one, but on the next pt, after his second serve, he picked the corner on a powerful forehand. 1 set each now, 3rd set to follow. Wow, Wawrinka picked the right time to start outplaying Raonic!

3rd set:

A quick, easy hold for Raonic to start, apparently not shaken by the momentary surge from Wawrinka that allowed him to go up that mini-break. A hold from Wawrinka, but Milos, for the first time in the match, dropped his level of play during his service game for long enough to give the first break opportunity to Wawrinka. He converted on an error from Milos. A bad overhand smash miss, a bad forehand miss into the net, and all of a sudden an hour and a quarter of dominance gives way to a break for Wawrinka.

Raonic tried to turn it up in the next game to get it back, getting to 30-30, but he put in a couple of errors trying to outpower Wawrinka as he'd done in the first couple of sets. Wawrinka holds, then Milos was on his way to a hold, until an error and double fault brought it to deuce. He made us nervous on a fault on his first serve, but the 2nd serve that Stan couldn't return made up for it. His next serve was also a zinger, allowing him to barely hold on to hold Wawrinka to a one break advantage.

Wawrinka put in his best game of the match on his service game. He held at love.

Continuing his form into the next game, Wawrinka showed some of the skill that he used to get into the top 10 earlier in his career. It seems like he's starting to figure out how to return Milos' first and second serves (hopefully he keeps it to himself!). No free points and he had to work hard for it, but Milos gets the hold. 4-3 for Wawrinka, who will serve to stay on top in the 3rd set...

Milos came out hungry again in the next game. Outlasting Wawrinka on the first point, and constructing a good point on the 2nd before putting an attempted winner into the net cord. He wasn't able to rtn Wawrinka's next serve. 30-15 for Wawrinka. Stan tried to go behind Milos on the next rally, but Milos read the play and held his ground during the shot, and Stan forced it wide. The next rally was slow, and Wawrinka put in a sloppy forehand error, unusual for him so far in the 3rd set. Brk pt for Raonic. Wawrinka required a 2nd serve, but he impressed with a great forehand error. Deuce. As the longest rally of the match ensues on the next point, we get the feeling this game means a lot to both players... Wawrinka sends a shot long, and it's adv Raonic, brk pt. He put a shot into the net though, going back to deuce. Wawrinka did well to construct and win the next couple of points, holding, but just barely. Best tennis if the match thus far! Raonic serves to stay in the tournament...

Starting with a first serve ace at 134 mph and some big power on the next point, Milos sped to 30-0. Another of his famous 3-shot rallies (incl his serve, of course) put him up 40-0. His next similar attempt went into the net though and he dbl faulted pretty badly on the next pt to make it 40-30. He pounded an ace next though, out wide. 5-4 for Wawrinka, who has an opportunity to serve out the match after the changeover...

Wawrinka opened up with a big point, pounding a shot down the line at 100 mph. Another big powerful shot across the court put him up 30-0. He threw in an ace next, 40-0. He missed an overhand attempt on a defensive lob from Milos, 40-15. Wawrinka held on to win the match.

Kudos for Wawrinka to play so well after being down in that 2nd set tiebreak. Not only did he raise his level to win that tiebreak, but he kept up the level for enough of the 3rd set to get a break and hang onto it to the end. A great, entertaining match, showing exquisite quality from both players! Bravo!

--wacb