Contesting only his fifth match in two years, wild card Milos Raonic returned to play on home soil at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, rising to the occasion to set the Sobeys Stadium in Toronto on fire Monday evening.
In his on-court interview, the 32-year-old Canadian commented: “Two years away, five years from playing in Toronto, a whole four years since I got to play in front of my parents, who were there for the majority of my matches as junior and a majority of my matches as a pro. All of these things came together for a great night for me, and I’m incredible grateful for it.”
Delivering a spirited performance, he scored an epic 6-7(12), 7-6(4), 6-3 victory over American Frances Tiafoe - the first Top 10 win since 2020, after two hours and 24 minutes on Center Court.
Next, Raonic will face Japanese Qualifier Taro Daniel, who rallied past Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in straight sets.
The Canadian player born in Montenegro leads Daniel 2-0 in their series, having played for the last time in 2018, also on the hard court surface.
In his first match on the hard courts in more than two years, the 8-time ATP titlist made his presence known; on vintage mode, he hit 37 aces, winning 87 percent of the first serve points, converting the two break point opportunities he earned.
The opener set the tone of a dramatic battle, which brought the local crowd to the edge of their seats, featuring a 26-point first-set tiebreak, adding suspense and controversy to the top contest.
The first set went Tiafoe’s way after chair umpire Fergus Murphy awarded the point and the opener 7-6(12) to the American player, quickly correcting his first call.
The 25-year-old ran from behind the baseline to hit a winner making contact with the net but outside of the singles stick, implying no violation of the rules.
Both players approached Murphy, who explained: “Frances, wait, this is complicated. This section of the net doesn’t count as a touch. Only after the singles post [does a touch count], Milos.”
Addressing the spectators, the chair umpire outlined: “Mr. Tiafoe ran into the section of the net that does not count, it’s a permanent fixture, therefore, he did not touch the net, and he hit a winning shot.”
A tight second set led to a tiebreak which Raonic won 7-6(4) to level up the match, forcing a third set.
Unstoppable on serve, the first Canadian to break into the Top 10 (2013) built upon his momentum to seal victory in Toronto in his first appearance since 2019.
Return to Action
Raonic returned to tour-level action last June on the grass courts at the Libema Open in ‘S-Hertogenbosch with a victory over fifth seed Miomir Kecmanovic after two years sidelined from competition due to a series of injuries.
At Wimbledon, the 2016 runner-up made his first appearance since 2019, sealing a four sets triumph over Qualifier Dennis Novak, but failed to reach the third round.
The ATP Masters 1000 in Toronto runs from August 7 to 13.