ANOTHER WIN FOR MILOS
Raonic on early roll at Rogers Cup
Outfitted head-to-toe in New Balance red and white, still glowing from a runners-up showing at Wimbledon two weeks ago, looking about as dialed-in as ever, Milos Raonic made quite the Rogers Cup entrance on Wednesday.
Playing in his backyard for the first time since 2014, the hard-serving tennis star from Thornhill, Ont., dismantled Yen-Hsun Lu in an easy straight-sets victory on Centre Court at the Aviva Centre.
“I didn’t expect to play as well as I did. That was sort of hopeful. I knew that a lot of things were going to come down to me, how I dealt with (the windy and humid weather conditions),” Raonic said following an efficient 6-3, 6-3 win in the second round.
The version of Milos Raonic tennis fans at York University were treated to in his return to a Canadian court was equal parts relaxed and focused. Now 38-9 in 2016, including an 18-3 record on hard court, he seemed more animated than usual in his third career meeting with Lu, the world No. 70.
“After discussions with (my coaches), it’s been about sometimes — you know, you let yourself get in that situation too much where you bottle up a lot of energy — start expressing (myself ) more,” Raonic said, “be more positive with it, show more intensity. In tough moments, fight fire with fire sometimes, a bit more.”
Overall, the 25-year-old made quick work of Lu, notching the final point only 65 minutes after the match’s opening serve, essentially trampling any and all moves made his way. His trademark quick and accurate serve was on, as he cashed in eight aces.
American Jared Donaldson is Raonic’s next opponent at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. Donaldson beat Italian Fabio Fognini in three sets to advance to the third round. Raonic, seeded fourth, faces unseeded Donaldson Thursday.
Every one of the tournament’s other marquee names — Novak Djokovic, Sam Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori and Tomas Berdych — also won in their debuts.
To cap off Wednesday’s packed schedule, Canadian teen Denis Shapovalov, a wild-card entry, was eliminated 6-4, 6-3 on Centre Court by former world No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov.
Shapovalov, the recent junior Wimbledon champion with long blond hair, exits his first Rogers Cup as a feelgood story. His first-round upset of Nick Kyrgios made headlines across the tennis world.
The left-handed 17-yearold has a big-time fan in Raonic.
“He’s been doing incredible things,” Raonic said. “It’s actually a pleasure to have more and more players to share (the spotlight) with.”
The crowd-pleasing Shapovalov came into the tournament ranked 370th in the world.