Former world number four Milos Raonic continued his excellent start to 2016 by eliminating Stan Wawrinka in the fourth round of the Australian Open. In a match between two players already with a title to their names this year, Raonic came out stronger with an aggressive performance.
Wawrinka had been looking in good form throughout the tournament, but was unable to recapture the heights that have led him to two Grand Slam titles. He hit 52 winners during the match - normally an excellent number, but it paled somewhat in comparison to Raonic's 82.
Raonic off to fast start
The Canadian started by far the better of the two, taking the first two sets in just 38 minutes each. He was approaching the net with great success, winning 68% of his 25 points there, and not allowing Wawrinka the time or space to unload on his huge groundstrokes. A single break was enough for Raonic to take the first set, his own serve unpenetratable.
The second set offered a better start for Wawrinka, as he broke to take the first two games. Raonic was having none of it, however, and broke three times on the way to doubling his lead by taking set two. Raonic was in complete control, and looked to be heading for a quick win.
Wawrinka turns the tide
But whereas once Wawrinka maight have gone away, the Swiss has been a different player in the last few years, and a stunning lob brought out a change in fortunes. At 5-5 in the third, Wawrinka played an excellent return game to break, before serving out the set to claw back half the deficit.
Wawrinka had raised his game, and seemed to have found the key to returning Raonic's serve, forcing break points in the opening game of the fourth before converting one a few games later. Despite Raonic's continued pressure on the Wawrinka serve, the French Open champion held firm in the face of six break points to serve out the set and take the match into a decider.
Raonic resists Wawrinka fightback
Raonic's serve in the fifth set made the difference, offering up no chances for his opponent to break while Wawrinka's stuttered somewhat, his first serve percentage falling to just 52%. Against a player in Raonic's form, that simply wasn't going to cut it, and the Canadian duly broke in the sixth game. The thirteenth seed only needed two service holds for the match, and got them with ease.
Raonic becomes the first Canadian man to reach all four major quarterfinals, but will have his eye on more this week as he looks ahead to a quarterfinal with Gael Monfils. While unpredictable and sometimes highly dangerous, Monfils is perhaps something of a kind draw at this stage, and Raonic will be feeling confident of reaching his first semifinal in Melbourne.