WORLD JUNIORS: Canada reaching peak
Milos Raonic and Eugenie Bouchard each won their matches to give Canada a 3-0 victory over Italy in a group tie at the Hopman Cup on Thursday.
But that was not quite enough to give the team a berth in Saturday’s final.
Poland narrowly reached the championship by winning a set in mixed doubles against Australia to mathematically clinch and then went on to win the evening tie 2-1. Canada would have needed an Australian victory to reach the final.
Montreal’s Bouchard needed only 15 minutes on court for a 4-0 victory as Flavia Pennetta quit with right wrist pain to hand Canada a 1-0 lead. Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., hammered 10 aces and 21 winners in his 6-2, 6-4 win to keep Italy’s Andrea Seppi winless over six matches and two editions in Perth. Canada won the mixed in a walkover due to Pennetta’s injury absence.
The 23-year-old Raonic said he’s pleased with his improving form as the Australian Open start approaches Jan. 13.
“I played much better today, it was night and day between today and my previous two matches,” said Raonic. “I had to take matters into my own hands, that’s something we’ve been working on. I took the initiative today.”
Bouchard would have preferred to have played a proper match against Pennetta, who said that she woke up feeling poorly with the wrist pain, which she also felt at times last season when she returned to the WTA after surgery.
“It’s disappointing not to play a full match, but Flavia was having problems,” said Bouchard, 19, who was playing for the first time since Canada’s last group match Sunday.