Milos Raonic’s perfect start to 2016 continued on Wednesday in Melbourne, as the Canadian reached the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time in his career by defeating Gael Monfils 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The win was Raonic’s first over the Frenchman and saw the big-serving Canadian through to his second major semifinal. Last year, Raonic posted a career best performance in Melbourne by reaching the quarterfinals.

Raonic Out-Serves Monfils in Opener

Milos Raonic smacks a forehand during his quarterfinal on Wednesday. Photo: Michael Dodge/Getty Images
Milos Raonic smacks a forehand during his quarterfinal on Wednesday. Photo: Michael Dodge/Getty Images

The Canadian got off to a flying start, pounding a pair of aces on his first two serving points and holding easily. It would not take long for the Canadian to get a chance on Monfils’ serve. In the fourth game, Monfils suffered a brief serving lull up 40-15. He threw in a pair of double faults and an error to hand Raonic a break point, which the Canadian converted by forcing an error. The one break would be all Raonic would need. Neither player allowed a break point against their service for the remainder of the set. Monfils put up a fight while Raonic served for the set, but could not reach break point and the “Missile” closed out the set with an unreturnable serve.

Sloppy Game Gives Monfils Breakthrough

The strong serving trend continued through the first four games of the second set. Raonic got the first opportunity in the fifth game, leading 15-40 on Monfils’ serve. But the Frenchman forced a pair of errors and held with a pair of aces. Raonic followed up that close call with his worst game of the match, hitting two double faults and two unforced errors to hand the break to Monfils. Like in the first set, the one break would be enough. With Monfils serving for the set at 3-5, Raonic held break point to reclaim the break late, but he could not convert and Monfils pulled out the set to even the match.

Gael Monfils hits one of his athletic forehands. Photo: Michael Dodge/Getty Images
Gael Monfils hits one of his athletic forehands. Photo: Michael Dodge/Getty Images

Early Breaks Lifts Raonic

After narrowly dropping the second set, Raonic would roar back to start the third, racing to a 3-0 lead in the third. The former world number four brought up a pair of break points in the second game and converted the first with a forehand winner. The Canadian won twelve of the first fifteen points to build the insurmountable lead. At 4-1, Raonic held another break point to crack the set wide open, but the Frenchman was up to the test. Two games later, Monfils faced a set point on his own serve, but he saved it with a forehand winner. It only briefly slowed the Canadian down, as Raonic served out the set with ease in the following game for a two sets to one lead.

Raonic Serves Into Semifinals

A set away from his first major semifinal in nearly two years, Raonic came out firing, holding his first three service games to love. The Canadian also made his move on Monfils’ serve in the fifth game, being gifted a break point courtesy of a Monfils double fault which he converted at the net. With Raonic now leading by a break, the match seemed all but over. Monfils had a chance to break back in the eighth game at 30-40, but Raonic saved it with a forehand winner. That would prove to by Monfils’ last hurrah as, after he held to stay alive, Raonic served out the match to love to advance his second major semifinal, and his first in Melbourne.

Raonic (left) and Monfils embrace at the net after Raonic's victory. Photo: Michael Dodge/Getty Images
Raonic (left) and Monfils embrace at the net after Raonic's victory. Photo: Michael Dodge/Getty Images

By the Numbers

It was another strong serving display from Raonic, as he won eighty-four percent of his first serve points and limited Monfils to two break points, only one of which was converted. He continued his net assault, approaching forty-six times and winning thirty-one of those points. While Raonic more than doubled Monfils in unforced errors, thirty-six to seventeen, he still hit forty-seven winners to Monfils’ thirty-six. The one highlight for Monfils was he out-aced the big-serving Canadian fourteen to ten. However, Raonic’s return was dialed in and won fifty percent on Monfils’ second serve points.

On to the Semifinals

The win elevated Raonic’s perfect start in 2016 to 9-0. He is into the semifinals of a major for the second time in his career. By reaching the semifinals in Melbourne, he becomes the first Canadian man to reach the last four of a major other than Wimbledon. He previously reached the semifinals at the All England Club in 2014.

On that occasion, he lost to Roger Federer. This time, he will take on Andy Murray. Raonic’s record against Murray is his best against any member of the big four, as the pair’s head-to-head is tied at three wins apiece.

Andy Murray (left) and Raonic shake hands after Murray's win in Madrid. Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Andy Murray (left) and Raonic shake hands after Murray's win in Madrid. Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images

Raonic and Murray last played in the round robin at the ATP World Tour Finals in 2014, won by Murray. But that does no bother Raonic, who said “far from where we were 14 months ago, we're both very different and I think improved players from then.”

The Canadian has not beaten the two-time major champion since early 2014. On how he will do things differently this time, he said “I have certain aspects that I would like to manipulate and use my game in, and I'm sure he's going to try to do a lot of different things, too. I think it's going to be a race to who can get in the comfort zone first.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Pete Borkowski
Tennis has always been my obsession. What better way to channel that obsession than writing about it? After 18 months of blogging with Sportsblog.com as the writer of A Fan Obsesseds blog, all the while completing my Bachelors in history and French, I joined VAVEL so that I can better share my love and knowledge of tennis with the world.