Raonic exits at hands of Isner again
Towering American knocks out Canada’s last hopeful in men’s singles
NEW YORK — For the second Grand Slam in a row, Canada’s Milos Raonic could not solve John Isner.
Despite forcing a fifth set, Raonic was overpowered in a battle of two of the top servers in tennis, falling to Isner 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in a fourth-round match at the U.S. Open on Sunday.
Raonic was the last remaining Canadian in men’s or women’s singles at the final Grand Slam of the season.
The No. 11-seeded Isner — a 6-foot-10, 33-year-old American — previously beat Raonic in four sets in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Isner has now won five of six career meetings against the 6-foot-5 Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., who was the No. 25 seed at the U.S. Open.
“I’ve definitely struggled with him, specifically,” said Raonic.
“There’s other guys that are big servers that I’ve played better against. For me, I think the biggest thing is there’s not guys that make me hit returns above my shoulders. That’s sort of the hardest part for me. Today, I was much more successful going further back, buying my time, (but) I wasn’t sharp enough when I needed to be.”
Isner finished with 20 aces while only hitting one double fault to Raonic’s 18 and 1, respectively.
Isner had the more effective serve overall, winning 86 per cent of his first attempts. Raonic took 80 per cent.
Isner also finished with more winners 56 to 47, while Raonic had fewer errors (19 to 25).
Meanwhile, Montreal’s Leylah Fernandez, 15, beat American Elysia Bolton 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a first-round girls’ singles match on Sunday. Fernandez is seeded eighth after reaching the French Open semifinals.