Share

Raonic creates Canadian history

Melbourne - Milos Raonic became the first Canadian man to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals in 47 years with a five-set win over Feliciano Lopez on Monday

The eighth seed thundered down 30 aces as he made the last eight with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (7/9) 6-3 win over 12th-seeded Lopez in 3hr5min on Hisense Arena.

Next up will be a quarter-final against either world number one and four-time champion Novak Djokovic or Luxembourg's Gilles Muller on Wednesday.

Raonic created Canadian tennis history by becoming the first man since Michael Belkin in 1968 to win through to the quarters at the Australian Open.

He also equalled countryman Robert Powell's feat of playing in three Grand Slam quarter-finals set back at the 1908, 1910 and 1912 Wimbledons.

The big-serving 24-year-old, who reached the semi-finals at last year's Wimbledon, had two match points saved when he was serving for victory in the fourth set.

Lopez took it to a fifth set, but Raonic broke the Spaniard in the eighth game and then blasted three straight aces on the way to serving it out in the following game.

"It's great to be here in the second week, there was some great tennis played today and I just think that is only going to get better," Raonic said.

Raonic hit an extraordinary 81 winners and first served at 75 percent, winning 79 percent. His monster serve was only broken once by Lopez.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE