MELBOURNE: With an easy 6-7(6) 6-3 2-0 victory on Monday, home favorite Alex de Minaur advanced to the Australian Open second round, after Canadian opponent Milos Raonic retired hurt early in the third set.
Raonic, a former world number three, had not participated in a professional match since November and was rated 317th in the world before he came in Melbourne. Raonic had been dealing with injuries for more than two years.
However, in the first set, the 33-year-old Canadian turned back time with a serving masterclass, cruising through his service games without seeing a break point and going on to win a tiebreak to grab an unexpected lead in the match.
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In the second set, the Australian broke to take a 4-2 lead as his opponent’s concentration level continued to decline. Raonic’s backhand error leveled the match.
Before giving up in the next game, the Canadian was broken once more at the beginning of the third set.
“Let me start by wishing Milos a quick recovery. In his courtside interview, De Minaur stated, “It’s not great to see him like this.”
