Australian Open: Lucas Pouille tops Milos Raonic for a career-best result
Together with Rafael Nadal, the Canadian Milos Raonic has shown the most in the first four rounds of the Australian Open, playing mighty impressive tennis that made him the favorite to reach at least the semi-final. On the other hand, the Frenchman Lucas Pouille never won a match here in Melbourne in the previous five trips but that all changed in this year's campaign, taking down four rivals to set Raonic clash and beating the better-ranked player 7-6 6-3 6-7 6-4 in three hours and two minutes for his maiden Grand Slam semi-final!
Milos has won the previous three matches against Lucas in straight sets but he couldn't keep a perfect record against the Frenchman who is the first player born in 1994 in the Grand Slam semi-final. Pouille is also the seventh player from his country who has reached the last four in Melbourne in the Open era and the first since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga back in 2010, playing one of his most excellent matches to leave the Canadian empty-handed. Lucas had more winners and fewer unforced errors than Milos, taming his shots beautifully and finding the best solutions that would give him the advantage on the court, which wasn't always the case in the past while Amelie Mauresmo was not in his coaching box.
Losing just 27 points on serve, Pouille had to play against only one break point in the entire match, delivering a fury from his first serve and keeping the second locked as well to mount all the pressure on Raonic. Despite 25 aces, Milos was nowhere near his level from the previous rounds, losing the advantage from the baseline and facing a lot of troubles in his games as he had to play against 14 break points, suffering three breaks that were enough to propel Lucas into the last four. Nothing could suggest the outcome after the opening three games of the match, with Raonic winning 12 of the first 13 points to race into a 3-0 lead thanks to a break at 15 in game two and a couple of holds at love.
Serving for the set at 5-3, Milos experienced a tremendous setback, losing serve at 15 after one of the worst forehands he has hit this year at Melbourne Park. The momentum was now far away from his side of the court and he saved three break points at 5-5 to stay on the positive side of the scoreboard before Lucas won the tie break 7-4 with a forehand crosscourt winner that secured the first part of the match for him. The second set offered eight easy holds on both sides and one loose service game from Raonic that cost him the set, winning just three points on the return!
Pouille grabbed a break in game four with a perfect lob winner and he had no troubles keeping the lead, firing four winners in game nine to wrap up the set and make a massive step towards the finish line. Giving his best to prolong the match, Milos fends off four break points in games seven and nine of set number three to reach the tie break, winning it 7-2 after a backhand error from Pouille in just under an hour, getting his name on the scoreboard and hoping for a complete comeback in the rest of the match.
That was never to happen, though, as Pouille lost just four points on serve in the fourth set, keeping his focus and waiting for a chance on the return. He wasted a break point in game two although there were more of those while Raonic served to stay in the match at 4-5. Reading the rival's serve well, Lucas created three break and match points and he converted the last one when Milos sprayed a backhand error to book the place in the semi-final where he will face Novak Djokovic or Kei Nishikori.
Quarter-final result:
[28]Lucas Pouille (FRA) vs [16]Milos Raonic (CAN) 7-6(4) 6-3 6-7(2) 6-4
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2FYozdx
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