By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, March 19, 2016
Milos Raonic defeated David Goffin, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, to reach his third Masters final at Indian Wells.
Photo credit: Jared Wickerham/BNP Paribas Open
The declarative 146 mph missile Milos Raonic blasted in the first set looked lethal enough to leave bruise marks.
Backing up the blasts by shifting speeds of his ground strokes, Raonic gave David Goffin plenty to think about and little reaction time to operate.
When Raonic wasn't rocking the radar gun, he showed some subtlety to displace Goffin, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, advancing to the Indian Wells final for the first time.
More: Raonic Making Mind-Body Connection
"I lost my way a little bit (in the second set); I got into his rhythm," Raonic told ESPN's Brad Gilbert afterward. "I really went for it in the third set and it came together."
Raonic raised his record to 14-1 in rolling into the third Masters final of his career. It is his first Masters final since falling to Novak Djokovic in the 2014 Paris Indoors final.
In his second straight Indian Wells semifinal, Raonic hit four of his 11 aces and won 16 of 18 points played on his first serve in the final set.
"The most important thing for me was to stick to my identity," Raonic said. "I was excited to play my second semifinal here. I really wanted to make sure I made the most of it. I went for it and came through."
The 14th-ranked Canadian, who can return to the Top 10 if he wins his first Masters crown here, will face Djokovic in tomorrow's final.
The world No.1 defeated Rafael Nadal, 7-6 (5), 6-2, in today's second semifinal.
"Against Novak it's a difficult match up," Raonic said. "I think that I have added good things to my tennis that can help me in that aspect. It's going to be important to control the center of the court; obviously be the one that's moving less. I think I'm going to have to do a better job of stepping up like I did in that third set with forehands earlier on and not being content with just putting it through. Not expecting sort of the match to be given to me.
"I think if I can play with a forceful attitude like I did in the second I can have my opportunity... I think for me my game plan is simple: It's about dictating. I don't think it's so much about who's on the other side of the net."
The opening semifinal was a study in contrasts pitting the 6-foot-5 Raonic's rocket-launcher serve and first-strike aggression against the 5-foot-11 Goffin's disruptive return game and deconstructive angles.
The power player slashed the pace carve out the first break.
Teasing Goffin with a slow slice backhand, Raonic drew an inside-out forehand error. Approaching behind a deeper slice, the man in red was an imposing obstacle for Goffin, who netted a backhand pass dropping serve for 1-3.
That break felt fatal after Raonic erupted with a triple-ace assault to back up the break. Raonic obliterated a 146 mph ace in that spree drawing applause from fans as he extended the lead to 4-1.
Raonic, who had held serve in 36 of his prior 38 service games, double-faulted to face a break point. He erased it attacking then hammered a 141 mph blast into Goffin's right hip holding for 5-2.
Banging a few biting body serves for double set point, Raonic slammed a service winner closing his ninth straight set of the tournament.
A three double-fault game in Raonic's first service game of the second set opened the door for Goffin. But the Belgian narrowly missed a backhand down the line then scattered a crosscourt backhand wide as Raonic held on for 1-all
Chipping away on his return games, Goffin pounced when Raonic's first-serve percentage dropped. Goffin flicked a backhand down the line earning his first break for 3-1, but it was short-lived. In the next game, the Belgian put a forehand into the middle of the net then spiked a ball in disgust at donating the break back.
Dropping back further behind the baseline, Goffin gave himself a better look at his opponent's ominous serve. Goffin won 11 of 12 points on Raonic's second serve in the second set.
"I think I just lost the aggression that I had and I didn't mix up enough the first serve like I was earlier on," Raonic said. "He sort of was able to settle things down. I didn't put the exact same kind of pressure on his service games. I was a little too passive. I think it's sort of you get a few more looks, you find a little more rhythm, and he definitely had better rhythm the second set returning."
Scattering another backhand Raonic faced yet another break point. Anticipating the wide serve, Goffin skipped to his left, cut off the angle brilliantly and drove a backhand return winner down the line breaking for the second time in the set for 5-3.
Raonic, who had surrendered serve just twice in the tournament, netted a forehand and found himself forced to a third set. Reading the Raonic serve more effectively, Goffin won 77 percent of points played on Raonic's serve and committed just seven errors compared to 19 for his opponent in the 46-minute second set.
Shrugging off the stumble, Raonic responded with a firm run.
A netted forehand and double fault put Goffin in a double-break point bind. Raonic hit a pressing return to move the Belgian and broke for 2-0 in the decider. Raonic thumped an ace stretching the lead to 3-0.
Serving for the final, Raonic brought 141 mph heat down the T and a crackling slice second serve for a pair of match points. Hammering a wide serve, Raonic closed in style and belted a ball into the crowd in celebration.
Now, Raonic sets his sights on a milestone: His first Masters championship.
It won't come easy. Djokovic is 5-0 lifetime vs. Raonic though they have not played since the 2014 Australian Open quarterfinals.
"I think I have more tools, and just like today I can be a lot more accepting and I can understand how things happen during a match and I can adjust, which I didn't do well the last two times," Raonic said. "I have obviously a big challenge ahead of me, but I have been pretty good this year at finding solutions."