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Raonic Powers Past Berdych in Cincinnati

  • Al Dannity's Author profile. Al Dannity

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Canada’s Milos Raonic enjoyed on of the most significant wins of his career to date as he beat world number 7 Tomas Berdych to advance to the Quarter Finals of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Gritty Fightback
The power behind Milos Raonic’s game brought him the first set on Thursday night but it was courage and belief that gave the Thornhill, Ont. player victory. Having dominated Tomas Berdych with his serve throughout the opening set, Raonic finally broke the Czech in the ninth game. Berdych struck back in the second, taking it convincingly 6-2. Raonic found himself in a familiar position against a higher ranked opponent. Having taken the first the Canadian had been unable to maintain momentum through the second and it looked like his chance may have gone. Raonic roared back in style to clinch victory in the third, recording two more breaks to win 6-4 2-6 6-2.

The Spoils of War
Raonic’s reward for victory is a match-up with Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka. Irrespective of what happens there, Raonic should move up to 17 in the rankings on Monday. Defeats for Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first round and Kei Nishikori in the last 16 will mean Raonic’s voyage to the last eight sees him leapfrog both. The timing could not be better as Raonic looks to secure a favorable seeding at the US Open. With Rafael Nadal out of Flushing Meadows, Raonic is poised to be in the top 16 seeds, protecting him from facing higher ranked opponents until the fourth round. The win also means Raonic has now reached a second straight Masters Series Quarter Final, a career highlight for the Canadian number one.

One Step from Federer
Wawrinka will be no pushover for Raonic but the Canadian has his eyes on a bigger prize this week. Roger Federer has come back from a set down three times this season to beat Raonic in three sets. A victory over Federer’s compatriot would almost certainly assure Raonic of a fourth meeting with the Wimbledon champion. Federer progressed to the Quarter Finals with a convincing 6-2 6-4 win over Bernard Tomic and looks in good shape ahead of the US Open. Raonic should not get too concerned with a fourth battle with Federer just yet as Wawrinka is not to be overlooked. The world number 26 is displaying his best form since the French Open. The 2008 Olympic Doubles champion wasted no time dispatching fourth seed David Ferrer in the second round and made similar light work of Nishikori.

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