Raonic makes clay court breakthrough in Monaco
Canadian men’s tennis ace Milos Raonic is through to the quarterfinals at Monte Carlo Masters after beating Tommy Robredo of Spain 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday.
The world number 10 ranked Raonic, an eighth seed in the tournament, will meet Stanislas Wawrinka from Switzerland in the next round.
Wawrinka is an Olympic medallist in men’s doubles from Beijing 2008. The 29-year old won his first Grand Slam earlier this year at the 2014 Australian Open. He is ranked third in the world.
A quarterfinal appearance for Raonic in Monaco will mark the first time he has made it this far on a clay court in the ATP Masters 1000 Series.
“It’s a result of a lot of the good things I’m doing,” Raonic was quoted as saying in The Canadian Press following his latest win. “But I can do better and I’m looking forward to bringing that out in myself.”
Wawrinka has beaten Raonic both times the two crossed paths but the 23-year old Canadian is ready to put that behind him and build upon his recent improvements.
“I’m doing a lot of things well and I’m looking forward to that challenge.”
The singles tournament features several heavyweights including world’s top two ranked players Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic (tournament defending champion), along with world number four Roger Federer. All have advanced to the quarterfinals.
Raonic isn’t the only Canadian headed to the quarters in Monte Carlo. Sydney 2000 Olympic doubles champion Daniel Nestor and Serbian partner Nenad Zimonjic have also moved on in Monte Carlo.
