Milos Raonic upsets Ernests Gulbis at the 2011 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo
Canadian tennis player Milos Raonic managed yet another victory over a higher-ranked player just minutes ago, defeating Latvia’s Number 1 Ernests Gulbis in straight sets 6-4, 7-5 to reach the third round of the clay tournament.
The match lasted barely one hour and thirty minutes, with Raonic using his trademark forehand to lethal effect against Gulbis.
The Canadian tennis player is currently ranked World Number 34, and his rise on the Association of Tennis Professionals has not been anything short of meteoric. The player is barely 20 years old, and has been part of the ATP for
less than three years. Despite the fact that his pro career took off quite recently as compared to that of other players, Raonic has already won his first career title at the 2011 SAP Open and seems determined to make a mark on the ATP. He has scored wins
over players such as Fernando Verdasco, Mardy Fish and Mikhail Youzhny.
This match was an easy one for Raonic, who has never played against Gulbis before. The Toronto resident fired off seven aces during the match, and only committed one double fault before going on to break Ernests Gulbis all four
times. He himself was broken twice out of three opportunities. He managed to win 64 of 121 points to win the match, taking away 53 per cent of the points to set up a comfortable 6-4, 7-5 victory against his opponent.
This is Milos Raonic’s first showing at the Monte Carlo Masters, and he has readily admitted to not having enough experience on court. However, he plans to rectify this situation, saying, “it’s important to gain experience on clay
and it will also help me to improve my game on other surfaces.” To achieve this, he plans to put in appearances at Barcelona, Estoril, Madrid and Rome after this tournament ends.
However, for the time-being, Raonic will proceed to the third round of the 2011 Monte Carlo Masters. He may be facing fourth seed David Ferrer in this stage of the tournament.
Tags: