Australian Open 2019: Milos Raonic dominates in straight-sets victory over Alexander Zverev

Rudi Schuller

Australian Open 2019: Milos Raonic dominates in straight-sets victory over Alexander Zverev image

Another win for Milos!

Canadian Milos Raonic needed less than two hours to claim victory over world No. 4 Alexander Zverev on Monday, winning 6-1, 6-1, 7-6(5) to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2019 Australian Open.

It was a dominant performance for the 28-year-old Canadian, especially in the first two sets. Overall, Raonic held a significant advantage in aces (15-6), winners (45-21) and double faults (1-10) as he cruised by his younger opponent in somewhat surprising fashion.

Things started off a bit shaky for Raonic as Zverev broke the Canadian's serve in the opening game. It ended up just being a minor blip as Raonic stormed through the rest of the set, winning the next six straight games and claiming the set in just over 30 minutes.

It was not a typical set for the hard-serving Raonic, whose only ace of the opening frame came on set point. Instead, Raonic rode 13 net points won and a 17-6 advantage in return points won to a commanding first-set victory.

Raonic was even more dominant in the second set, breaking Zverev's serve three times and hitting four aces. Play was so lopsided that the 21-year-old German became visibly frustrated, destroying his own racquet in a moment of despair as Raonic cruised to a two-set lead with ease.

Playing to stay alive in the tournament, Zverev put up much more of a fight in the third set. The double-faults and unforced errors of the opening two sets seemed to disappear for the German, replaced by a confident serve and a much livelier performance overall.

The biggest difference for the 21-year-old was that he only allowed Raonic a pair of break point opportunities in the set. However, the Canadian didn't allow any break point opportunities at all, as both players held serve throughout the set to force a tiebreak.

If either player had an advantage in the tiebreak situation, it was Raonic. The Canadian had already played through six tiebreaks in the tournament prior to Monday's match, and his good form continued as he fought back from 4-2 down to take the set, and the match.

Raonic will face Lucas Pouille in the quarterfinals.

Rudi Schuller