Raonic, Dabrowski bounced from Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia — Canadian Milos Raonic is done at the Australian Open — and now is facing another health concern.
France’s Lucas Pouille has reached the Australian Open semifinals for the first time with a 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-4 win over the 16th-seeded Raonic, a major reversal of form at Melbourne Park after losing in the first round here in the previous five years.
Afterward, the 28-year-old Raonic said he is battling a knee injury and is expected to get it evaluated by doctors shortly.
“There’s damage inside my knee ... I’m trying to avoid potentially having to have surgery,” said Raonic, who has been hampered by injuries throughout his career.
That’s why Raonic was not named to Canada’s Davis Cup team Tuesday for a clay-court tie in Slovakia Feb. 1-2. There’s still a chance he could enter after he consults with his medical team, but Raonic said switching surfaces quickly can be a risk.
Pouille entered the quarter-final 0-3 against Raonic in career meetings — including a first-rounder here in 2016 — but targeted the 2016 Wimbledon finalist’s second serve and was only broken once himself in the match.
Raonic got only 58 per cent of his first serves in, as compared to 66 per cent for Pouille.
“I just didn’t take care of the things I needed to take care of,” Raonic said.
Raonic is now 1-3 in Australian Open quarter-finals.
Pouille will next play sixtime Australian titlist Novak Djokovic.
Meanwhile, Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski’s bid for a second straight Australian Open mixed doubles title is over. The Ottawa native and Mate Pavic of Croatia, the top seeds, lost 6-1, 4-6, 11-9 to Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain and Neal Skupski of the United Kingdom in a quarter-final.
In junior girls play, No. 4 seed Leylah Fernandez of Montreal advanced to the quarter-finals.