milos raonic hits a forehand at the miami open

Photo : Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour

Milos Raonic is up and running at the Miami Open and looks a force to be reckoned with.  The Canadian had his foot firmly on the accelerator throughout his commanding second-round, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Jordan Thompson of Australia on Saturday morning.

Despite having spent 21 accumulative years on the pro tour – 13 for Raonic and eight for Thompson – surprisingly, this match in Florida was the first encounter of their careers so far. Raonic, seeded 12th, received a bye into the second round, while Thompson overcame Argentina’s Federico Delbonis 7-6(6), 6-4 in his opening match.

The first set was textbook Raonic as his serve remained impenetrable. The 30-year-old broke Thompson – who is ranked No. 60 on the ATP Tour – to love in the fourth game, giving him a commanding lead that he wasn’t prepared to give up. In fact, he stayed on the offensive and broke Thompson again at 5-2* – a fierce backhand which clipped the line sealing break and set point.

Raonic continued to pressure Thompson as the match continued. The Canadian played imperiously in the second set as he claimed four consecutive games to see out the match. He won 11 out of 11 first serve points and five of six second serve points, with seven aces to Thompson’s two in the second set alone, which he won 6-1.

The Canadian will now face either 20th seed Ugo Humbert of France or Portugal’s Joao Sousa in the third round.

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