Milos Raonic reacts to saving two match poins for Paris semifinal

World No. 17 Milos Raonic said he wanted to fight until the last point against Ugo Humbert and that paid off for him as he edged out the Frenchman to reach the Paris Masters semifinal.

Raonic, seeded at No. 10, recovered from a 5-1 deficit in the third set tie-break and saved two consecutive match points to beat Humbert 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7).

"I wouldn't necessarily say that that match point is the way I want to be playing too many points that I saved in that long rally. But I just tried to stick with it as much as possible, tried to find a way through and got a bit fortunate, hit a few balls close to the line," Raonic said, per the ATP website. "Today it turned my way, but I've just got to keep plugging away. Doesn't necessarily mean it always will, but at least give it a chance for it to turn around."

After winning the second set, Humbert had a great chance to start the third set on the best possible way but he failed to convert any of his three consecutive break points in the opening game of the decider.

"It was looking a little dark for me at the beginning, triple break point at the beginning [of the third set]," Raonic admitted. "But then I created some opportunities. It kept me around. And it's something that [has] happened maybe too many times before, that things have slipped because I haven't taken that step forward mentally. And I just tried to do something better today."

Raonic praised Humbert 

"The past few weeks he's played well. I think he just needs the consistency," Raonic said of Humbert. "He's not an easy guy to play, by any means. I think with maturity, and he's playing the right way, I think he can continue to move up much more."

Humbert, who was aiming to make his maiden Masters semifinal in front of his home fans, admitted he was disappointed after missing out on a great chance to beat Raonic.

"I am disappointed. Afterwards, I'm going to rest a bit, think about everything that happened. For two or three weeks, I have felt that I am making progress," Humbert said after the loss, per Tennis Majors.

"I'm still happy, I had good matches against good players. I feel that I have the level, but to pass another milestone, there are still things to improve." 

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3562vK7