By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, January 25, 2016
Milos Raonic defeated Stan Wawrinka for the first time in five meetings, 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-3, to reach his second straight Australian Open quarterfinal.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Winless in four career meetings with Stan Wawrinka, Milos Raonic was in no mood to play the waiting game.
Raonic faced the Swiss' surge pressing forward to charge into his second straight Australian Open quarterfinal.
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Backing up his massive serve with committed net play, Raonic repelled Wawrinka, 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-3. Raonic ripped 24 aces and won 54 of 83 trips to net ousting the fourth-seeded Swiss.
"I think it's the next step for me to achieve the goals I want to achieve," Raonic said afterward. "This is my first victory on Rod Laver Arena so that's a nice plus."
The Brisbane champion raised his 2016 record to 8-0. The 13th-seeded Canadian will face 23rd-seeded Gael Monfils for a spot in the final four. Monfils held off Andrey Kuznetsov, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).
When Raonic broke first for a 5-4 lead today it was his first break of Wawrinka since the first set of their first meeting in the 2012 Cincinnati quarterfinals.
Wawrinka broke for a 2-0 second-set lead when Raonic netted a forehand. A proactive game was followed by a poor one: Wawrinka jerked a wild forehand wide to gift back the break.
Raonic has refined his net game and showed it with a pair of exquisite backhand volleys for break point. Wawrinka saved it sticking a forehand down the line and bellowing "come on!" trying to fire himself up. But Raonic curled a short-angled forehand for a third break point.
Pouncing on a short ball, Wawrinka was inside the service line when he splattered a short forehand into net as Raonic broke again for 3-2.
Variation helped the Canadian earn his third break to close the set. Clubbing a deep return that forced Wawrinka to counter with a forehand miss off the back foot, Raonic earned set point.
Drawing the 2014 champion forward with a drop shot, Raonic blasted a backhand right into the body. Wawrinka's self-preservation volley floated long. Raonic snatched a two-set lead after 76 minutes.
Pressing forward to exploit Wawrinka's chipped returns, Raonic won 17 of 25 trips to net in building the two-set lead.
Deadlocked at 5-all, a series of split decisions cost Raonic.
Camped out at net the Canadian was in prime position for a high backhand volley. He let it pass and the shot dropped in. Wawrinka rapped a forehand pass down the line for double break point. Raonic saved both, but overhit successive inside-out forehands as Wawrinka broke for 6-5 prompting girlfriend Donna Vekic to spring from her seat in support.
Slashing a backhand winner for set point, Wawrinka closed net to force the fourth set.
Creeping in behind a slice backhand, Raonic angled off a backhand volley to erase break point in the first game of the fourth set. He saved a second break point working through a tough 10-minute hold.
A 30-love lead dissipated with a series of forehand errors from Wawrinka. He dug in and saved a pair of break points for 2-all. That stand sparked a surge from Wawrinka who broke at 15 for 3-2. Staring down four break points in the eighth game, Wawrinka withstood the test for 5-3, eventually forcing the fifth set.
Hammering a smash, Raonic earned a second break point in the decider. Surprising his opponent attacking behind a slice backhand, Raonic drew the error to break for 4-2. He served out his first win over Wawrinka in three hours, 45 minutes.