Milos Raonic ousts Stan Wawrinka to reach Canadian milestone

Milos Raonic of Canada makes a forehand return to Viktor Troicki of Serbia during their third round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016.

Wawrinka, the 2014 champion here, had fought his way back from two sets down to take the match to a decider but Raonic’s aggression paid off as the Canadian 13th seed won 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-3 in three hours and 44 minutes. Serving to stay in the match at 2-5, while Wawrinka did save a match point before winning the game, he wasn’t able to prevent his ouster from the tournament as Raonic finished the match on his terms to reach the quarter-finals. “Always been unsafe with his serve”, Wawrinka said.

“I’ve had a good week and I hope I have a wonderful second week”.

Raonic dominated in the first two sets, but then Wawrinka went on a roll.

Milos Raonic is playing at the top of his game.

The Canadian has used that title-winning run in Brisbane as a springboard for a major tilt at the Australian Open.

Konta, making her main-draw debut this year after being defeated in qualifying the previous three years, beat Venus Williams in the first round and became the first British player since Jo Durie and Anne Hobbs in 1987 to make it to the fourth round at the Australian Open.

Raonic held in the next game, clinching it with an ace, and Wawrinka saved a match point in his next service game.

STAT OF THE DAY: 400: number of tour-level match wins by two-time Grand Slam victor Stan Wawrinka after his victory over Joao Sousa. “For sure he will have some chance to go far in Grand Slam”.

“He just brings a calm and understanding of how I can be more efficient in my game”, Raonic said “Today a great example of that”.

In the fourth set, Raonic seemed to have lost that focus and movement he had in the opening two sets and Wawrinka was playing more consistently.

“He had a good second set”, Monfils said.

“During the point, I feel that I can have it”, he said.

The 25-year-old Canadian is into the quarterfinals for the fourth time at the majors, including a loss here last year to Djokovic. Raonic has won jut one set in the four meetings and that came back in 2012. That’s for sure. But to win a grand slam, you have to beat two of the big four.

Raonic next plays the flamboyant French 23rd seed Gael Monfils, who beat Russian Andrey Kuznetsov 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).

He spoke in a croaky voice, the result of a minor illness earlier in the week, and elicited more laughs from those at Rod Laver Arena when he light-heartedly added in the interview with four-time grand slam champion Jim Courier: “I don’t really need my voice”.

“I still think it depends a lot on my game, of what I’m going to do, of where I’m going to be on the court, the way I’m going to serve”.

Angelique Kerber has beaten fellow German Annika Beck 6-4, 6-0 to advance to the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park. But I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from Stan. I don’t know how to say it in English, but they jump and they do it. It’s just natural.