Milos Raonic cruised into the fourth round for the third time in four years with his 6-2 6-3 6-4 win over last week’s Sydney champion Viktor Troicki.
Raonic got a double break in the sixth and in the eighth games to race to 6-2 in 29 minutes in the opening set. The Canadian broke serve in the eighth game to take a two-sets to love lead.
Troicki, number21 seeded player, broke Raonic’s serve for the first time in this tournament to open up a 3-0 lead in the third set but Raonic broke back in the seventh game to bring the set back on serve for 4-4. Raonic broke serve again en route to racing out to his third straight-set win in this tournament after 1 hour and 45 minutes.
After a tough 2015 season in which he struggled with injury problems Raonic has got off to a flying start this year under the guidance of Riccardo Piatti and his new coach Carlos Moya winning the Brisbane final against Roger Federer.
“I feel I am finding answers. I am taking care of my serve. I am creating opportunities on the return. I am reaching much better, getting a lot of more returns back in, putting more pressure on my opponents, so eventually the opportunities are coming to me. I think it’s just really about keeping that cycle going forward. I feel i am playing good enough tennis. I feel like I can. The question is will I make use of them ?”, said Raonic.
“I thought I played well. I think it’s definitely the best match I have played here in Melbourne so far this year. I thought I changed up things really well. I took care of my serve, mixed up my serve. I was efficient at the net.
Raonic will face a very tough fourth round match against 2014 Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka, who beat Lukas Rosol 6-2 6-3 7-6 (7-3).
“It will be difficult. He is playing well. He has played solid through what I have seen of his first three matches. I watched a little bit of him now. I have it within myself to be abe to find the solution”, said Raonic.
David Ferrer cruised to a 6-1 6-4 6-4 win over Steve Johnson in one hour and 45 minutes following up his win over now retired Lleyton Hewitt. Ferrer played a very solid match, in which he did not face a break point. The 33-year-old Spanish player broke serve on his second opportunity en route to winning the first set. Ferrer did not face any break point chances and served out to love to set up a fourth round match against John Isner, who fought back from losing the first set at the tie-break to overcome Feliciano Lopez 6-7 (8-10) 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 6-4 after two hours and 53 minutes at the Hisense Arena. Four years ago Lopez won a hard-fought five-set third-round match on the same court. Isner has reached to the fourth round without dropping his serve in this tournament. Isner fired 44 aces.
It looked as though the match would be decided in five sets, after the first two sets came down to the tie-break. Isner broke serve to love in the opening game and in the fifth game at 3-1 and from then on he raced out to taking the third and the fourth sets. Isner saved four set points in the first set but Lopez converted his fifth set point in the tie-break but then he took control of the match winning 79 percent of his first serve points.
Gael Monfils overcame a slow start to beat his compatriot Stephane Robert 7-5 6-3 6-2 to reach the fourth round in Melbourne for the first time since 2009. Thirty-five year-old Robert hit a backhand winner down the line to break serve in the fifth game for 3-2 and got a chance to serve out for the first set at 5-2 with a forehand from the baseline. Monfils clawed his way back to 4-5 with a break of serve. The Frenchman broke again to draw level to 5-5. Monfils hit a winner to break serve for 7-5.
Robert fired two backhand winners in the second set to open up a 3-0 lead but Monfils reeled off three consecutive games to draw level to 3-3. In the seventh game Robert chased down a lob before Monfils hit a backhand winner at the end of a spectacular rally to take a 4-3 lead. Monfils sealed the second set with 6-3.
Monfils reeled off three consecutive games to race out to 3-0 at the start of the third set en route to closing out the third set 6-2. With this win Monfils has notched up his 350th match win on tour.
“It was never going to be easy to play against a fellow Frenchman. He is a tough player. I started slowly but foun my game and I am very happy I managed to win that first set”, said Monfils.
Monfils will face either Andrey Kuznetsov or Dudi Sela in the fourth round.
