Milos Raonic eased his way to his sixth Masters 1000 semi-final after defeating France’s Gael Monfils 7-5, 6-3, at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
The world No.14, who is playing in his first tournament since the Australian Open, was broken just once throughout the 89-minute encounter. Raonic displayed his dominance early in the match after converting his first break of the match before racing to a 4-1 lead. The early lead by the Canadian was swiftly evaporated after Monfils clawed his way back to level at 4-4. The set seemed destined for a tiebreak after the Frenchman had two chances to take take proceedings to 6-6, however, Raonic was able to level to deuce following a backhand error from Monfils. The Canadian still had a tough task clinching the opening set after squandering two set points. He was triumphant with his third after a mishit from Monfils failed to go over the net.
After taking the opening set, the Australian Open semi-finalist extended his lead by grabbing another early break at the start of the second set to race to 3-0. Unlike the first set, Raonic’s serve remained strong as his opponent failed to find a way to break back. Impressively the Canadian dropped only six points in five service games during the second set. The comprehensive victory was sealed after the Canadian hit a winning backhand volley at the net.
In the usual Raonic fashion, the 25-year-old was strong on serve by winning 78% of his first service points and firing seven aces against the Frenchman. In additional he also produced 24 winners compared to 13 unforced errors. The only downfall in an otherwise impressive performance was Raonic’s break point conversion rate, which was 3/13. The low conversion rate can also be attributed to some sublime play from Monfils at the crucial moments.
“I’ve got to be very happy with how I competed today,” Raonic said. “I dealt with the situation well and gave myself lot of opportunities.
“And I did what counted the most — I took care of my serve.”
In the last four Raonic will play Belgium’s David Goffin. Goffin reached his maiden Masters semifinal after defeating former US Open champion Marin Cilic in straight sets. Earlier in the tournament, the Belgian grabbed his first ever win over a top-five player after stunning Stan Wawrinka. The upcoming semifinal will be Raonic’s first clash against Goffin since the 2014 Basel Open, where he was edged out in three close sets. Looking ahead to the showdown, Raonic maintains a positive outlook.
“He’s playing well. He’s taking the ball early,” The 25-year-old said about Goffin’s current game.
“You see that he’s trying to take time away and maybe getting guys to panic and not set up their swings. But I think when it comes to that kind of stuff I’m pretty good at getting things on my terms. If he wants to stay on the baseline I’m going to have to try to push him back.
“If I do the right things I can give myself a chance. I think I have shown that this year, and I hope I can keep showing that.”
A victory over the Belgian will elevate Raonic to his third Masters final after Montreal (2013) and Paris (2014). He has already won a title this year after defeating Roger Federer in the final of the Brisbane International in January.
