French Open: Milos Raonic Readies for Kevin Anderson Test

It’s a clash of seeds for Canada’s Milos Raonic in the third round at the French Open as the 14 seed from Thornhill, Ont. faces South African 23 seed Kevin Anderson. Al Dannity previews their big match.

Eugenie Bouchard is facing the biggest match or her career right about now; Milos Raonic is looking to earn a shot at a similar challenge. With a four set victory over Michael Llodra, where the Canadian at times looked to be surviving behind his serve, Raonic set up a third round clash with South Africa’s Kevin Anderson. Their lone previous meeting came a year and a half ago in San Jose, with Raonic winning in straight sets, but an awful lot has changed since then. The 2012 season saw Raonic climb up the rankings and nearly crack the top 10. Consistency at times plagued him but by and large it was a successful season for the Canadian. This year started off slowly for the big server from Thornhill but then he got a little help by taking on greater responsibility.

As the leader of Canada’s Davis Cup team he has found maturity in his responsibility. This has enabled Raonic to go after the tough result even when his game isn’t entirely there. That’s what he showed against Llodra. It’s not so much resilience as recognition. Raonic knows that Tennis is a marathon of sprints and at times, even in games that are lost, it makes sense to try and make your opponent take a few more reps.

That makes this match-up scream of a four-setter. Raonic isn’t entirely there yet in Paris but he has been battle-hardened by decent tests from Llodra and Malisse. Victory for the Canadian would almost certainly set up a fourth round match with 4 seed David Ferrer. While the Spaniard will be unquestioned favourite, ask yourself the following question. If you were Raonic and you cared about result more than performance would you take Ferrer or a shot at Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, or Roger Federer? Being in Ferrer’s section doesn’t just open the door to the quarter finals; it puts Raonic in serious contention of making a semi-final in the French Open. Last year saw Raonic hailed for his battles with Federer but he came out on the losing end of all of them. Being in Ferrer’s section gives him a chance to take a step towards the true giants without having to meet them head on so early in a tournament. It may look a less glamorous prize but it’s better suited to this more mature Raonic.