Milos Raonic and Aleksandra Wozniak Open Olympics with Wins!

Singles play in the Olympics got off on the right note for Canada as Milos Raonic and Aleksandra Wozniak took care of business in the first round. Al Dannity looks at the challenges ahead for both of Canada’s Tennis hopefuls.

Wozniak fights back
Having crashed out of the Women’s Doubles in emphatic style on Saturday, Aleksandra Wozniak kept her Olympic dream alive on Monday. Wozniak and Stephanie Dubois went down 6-2 6-0 to Yaroslava Shvedova and Galina Voskoboeva on Saturday, becoming the first Canadians to play and lose at London 2012. The elements gave Wozniak an unexpected rest day on Sunday and she came out refreshed on Monday. A 6-2 6-1 win over Marina Erakovic put to bed any doubts about a hangover from that Doubles loss. It was the type of win Wozniak needs for her confidence as the task ahead is daunting. Technically speaking her opponent in the next round secured an upset by beating French Open finalist Sara Errani 6-3 6-1. Unfortunately it was a result that surprised no-one as the un-seeded upstart was in fact Venus Williams, who along with her sister Serena has conquered all before her at Wimbledon over the last decade. For Wozniak to keep the Olympic dream alive she’s going to have to come out hard and fast to pull off an upset against the elder Williams in the next round.

Raonic rises to the occasion
It was the kind of business-like performance you want to see from a contender. There was nothing flashy about Milos Raonic’s win over Tatsuma Ito but there was never any doubt as the Canadian cruised to a 6-4 6-3 win. The win ensure Canada stays relevant in the Men’s Singles after Vasek Pospisil went down bravely, 6-4 6-4, to David Ferrer on Sunday. The win should prove a boon to the confidence of Pospisil and Daniel Nestor as Canada looks to record three wins out of three on the first Monday of the games.

Raonic will be focussed squarely on the task ahead in his lone event. While some big names struggled over the weekend, the only one that counts for Raonic is waiting for him in the second round. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is still standing after a shaky 6-7 6-4 6-4 win over Thomas Bellucci of Brazil. The Frenchman was semi-finalist at Wimbledon, falling to Andy Murray, and will fancy his chances of taking a medal home from his second trip to SW19 this year. Raonic, the world number 23, won’t fear his more established opponent but taking the win will be no easy task.

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