Milos Raonic has grabbed his first win on the grass this season after battling past Nick Kyrgios 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4.
The match began on Tuesday evening before coming to a halt at one set all due to poor light. Resuming play on the main court, the trend of big serves continued throughout the deciding set. Raonic was on the verge of grabbing the early break but failed to convert. Neither player was showing signs of weakness on their serve until a disastrous game from Kyrgios at 4-4. Back-to-back double faults unexpectedly handed the fourth seed the break and a chance to serve for the match. The late match blip angered Kyrgios, who smashed his racket during the break.
Serving for the match, it was Raonic’s time to falter. Two below-par shots allowed Kyrgios to work his way to 40-15, earning him two break back points. The Australian comeback failed to occur thanks to Raonic’s vital weapon, his blistering serve. A serve out wide followed by two aces elevated the Canadian from the verge of being broken to match point. The triumph was completed when a Kyrgios shot failed to go over the net.
In the next round Raonic will play lucky loser Jiri Vesely, who made headlines earlier this year by defeating Novak Djokovic at Monte Carlo. It will be by the first encounter between the two players on the tour since the 2014 French Open where Raonic took the win in three sets.
Paul-Henri Mathieu Dashes British hopes
Paul Henri-Mathieu has prevented the possibility of four British men progressing to the second round at The Queen’s Club by defeating Dan Evans 7-6(8), 6-7(6), 6-3. Despite suffering the loss, world No.92 Evans exits the London tournament still full of confidence.
“It was a good match,” Evans said.
“I was pleased with how I played and how I competed. That is pretty much it. It was a tight match and I came off on the wrong side.”
Evans’ next event will be next week at the Nottingham Open. He will be eager for a good run there as he prepares for the Wimbledon championships.
Meanwhile, Mathieu will face another Brit in his next round. Awaiting him will be Kyle Edmund, who defeated eighth seed Gilles Simon in his opening match.
