Milos Raonic saved three match points on his way to defeating Rafael Nadal in the BNP Paribas Open quarter-finals. The Tennis Reviews looks back at the Canadian’s first win over the Spaniard, a win which upset the anticipated big four get together in the Indian Wells semi-finals.
Match point down to Rafael Nadal, at 5-6 in the second set tiebreak, Milos Raonic’s defeat in the quarter-final of the BNP Paribas might have looked set. The Spaniard led him 5-0 in their head to head, including a three set win last year in Miami on another slow hard court surface.
But this match point was on Raonic’s racket- the biggest and highest ranked server in the game was about to deliver that huge weapon of his. Raonic served out wide to the Nadal forehand, came forward on the short ball and whacked the forehand back to the same side. Nadal got his racket on it, but it sailed long.
Raonic faced another match point at 7-8, again on his serve. The Canadian served down the tee and a high bouncing return came his way. Raonic took it on with a smash to the Nadal forehand corner, a smash that cleaned the line.
At 9-10, Raonic once more had a match point against him. This time his first serve failed him and he sent the second serve into the middle of the service box, spinning towards the Nadal backhand. The Spaniard tip-toed over to his forehand and set himself up for a huge top spin forehand right at Raonic to force an unforced error. But it was the Spaniard who made the error, his forehand spinning long.
A couple of points later, Raonic had his fifth set point as Nadal served at 10-11. Raonic got a look at a second serve. The two moved each other round the court, Raonic getting Nadal on the run. The Spaniard hit a ball down the middle of the court which Raonic took on with his forehand, deep into Nadal’s forehand side. It was too penetrating for even Nadal to get back with interest, the Spaniard netted his forehand and the match was leveled at a set all.
The third set went with serve all the way to 5-5. Raonic worked his way into the Nadal serve game and was rewarded with a break point at 30-40, but a huge forehand crosscourt went long. The forehand did not let Raonic down on the next point though. The Canadian went for another cross court forehand off a Nadal slice, got the Spaniard on the run and then whacked the return for a forehand to the Nadal backhand side that Nadal could only slide into and get his racket on and Raonic had another break point.
This time Nadal dictated matters, coming forward on a forehand that had Raonic on the stretch. The Canadian got to it, though, and sent it flying over Nadal’s head and landing in near the baseline. The Spaniard tracked it down but did not have enough time to do anything with it, sending it back past the baseline and the Canadian had the break.
Raonic was serving for his first win in six meetings with Nadal in a match that had lasted close to three hours. He opened the game with an ace, and would earn match point with one, too.
On match point, Raonic hit a serve down the tee, a forehand off the short ball deep to the Nadal backhand, the Canadian forced an error and grabbed his first win over the former champion.
Raonic’s win put an end to a possible ‘Big Four’ reunion in the Indian Wells last four. The four had not made up the last four of a big event since the Australian Open 2012, and the possibility of them doing so again was filling up a lot of headlines. Raonic though made the headlines about him, and will represent his generation of Nishikori, Dimitrov and Tomic, a generation that often looks lost, but which, with Raonic playing like this, may find its way again at the BNP Paribas Open.
Raonic will face Federer next, and on a surface favoring the better serves, and which gives Raonic plenty of time to set up his big ground strokes, the Canadian may spoil another party- a much anticipated final between Djokovic and the Swiss- yet.
Commentary by Christian Deverille.
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