By Chris Oddo | Thursday November 17, 2016
Milos Raonic is hoping for one last blast of proper energy at the World Tour Finals in London. Dominic Thiem, meanwhile, is headed for a long and much-needed vacation.
More: Pliskova Parts Ways with Jiri Vanek
The Canadian powered past Thiem on Thursday in the final match of the day to book his spot in the semifinals, 7-6(5), 6-3. The victory gives Raonic a chance to make a final statement in a year that for him was very much a statement year.
Raonic thumped 14 aces (12 in the first set) and did not face a break point against the 23-year-old Austrian. Raonic proved up to the task in a first-set tiebreaker and rallied from 4-2 down to take five of the final six points and the set.
He quickly moved ahead in the second set and though Thiem battled to stay within striking distance, chances to break the vaunted Raonic serve were not on offer.
Raonic closed out his victory in 90 minutes. It was his 52nd of the season against 16 losses.
The Ontario resident has moved incrementally up the ladder of ATP success in the last two seasons, and though he wasn’t able to crack the pantheon by winning his first major in 2016, he made statements with an Australian Open semifinal and a Wimbledon runner-up appearance. The fact that the 25-year-old Canadian is in the running for year-end No.3 is not happenstance. Vastly improved from a year ago, there is the belief in certain circles that only fitness and confidence are keeping him from becoming a major winner.
He could take the next step in Saturday’s semifinals, but Raonic will not learn his opponent on Saturday until the McEnroe group concludes play on Friday. It could be either Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori or Stan Wawrinka.
Raonic keeps knocking on the door of the elite, and he’ll look to break through by reaching the most prestigious non-major title in tennis on Saturday. If he shines, it could do wonder for his progression on the biggest stages against the best players. If not, chalk up another of the types of experiences that the hard-serving Raonic has always been able to digest and turn into the hard currency of marked improvement.
Thiem also showed his fair share of improvement this year. The Austrian reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at Roland Garros and made his Top 10 debut. He’s been criticized fairly regularly for his inability to pace himself schedule-wise, but who can fault the 23-year-old year old for wanting to play more events with his tennis paying dividends?
Thiem finishes the season at 58-24, but he went 12-12 in his last 24 as fatigue crept in and he continued to play week-in and week-out.
During interviews this week in London, Thiem downplayed the effect of overplaying, saying his brutal schedule was the reason he was able to qualify for London.
Raonic improved to 2-0 lifetime against Thiem, and 23-49 lifetime against the Top 10.