Regions Morgan Keegan Championships: Raonic upsets Stepanek in Memphis
Canadian tennis prodigy Milos Raonic defeated Czech pro Radek Stepanek in three tough sets last night, scoring a 6-4, 7-6(10), 7-6(1) victory over his opponent. It took Raonic a little over two hours and thirty minutes to eliminate Stepanek and proceed to
the quarterfinals of the Memphis event.
The match began with Raonic in the lead, and many fans hoped that he would be able to score his first straight-sets victory at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships. He performed remarkably well in the first set, scoring eleven aces and saving one of two
break points. His opponent, former World Number 8 Stepanek, scored one ace and was unable to defend himself against the two break points to which he was challenged by Raonic. Although the set was a tough one, Raonic managed to win 57 percent of the total
points to win 6-4 against Stepanek.
Spectators were on edge for the second set, hoping for the 20-year-old Canadian to score an easy victory over his opponent. However, this was not possible; Stepanek seemed to recover some of the confidence which helped him break into the Association of Tennis
Professionals [ATP] Top Ten, and the set went to match point again and again. Stepanek scored just one ace as compared to Raonic’s thirteen, but he also saved all four break points. Despite the fact that Raonic won one more point than his opponent during the
set, the Czech player managed to win the tie-breaker to take the set 7-6(10) and level the playing field.
The third set was another tense one, with both players fighting for a chance to make it to the quarterfinals. 32-year-old Stepanek seemed somewhat exhausted by the rallies of the last set, but managed to keep up with his opponent yet again. He scored six
aces, while Raonic fired fourteen. He was also able to save both of his break points, although he could not challenge Raonic to any. By the end of the set, Raonic had taken 54 percent of the points to win the set 7-6(1).
The two players had never competed against each other before, and this marks their first meeting. Many fans were worried that Raonic might not be able to make it through three sets against the far more experienced player, who has been playing since 1996.
Earlier this week, Raonic defeated second seed Fernando Verdasco at the SAP Open in San Jose in tie-breakers 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5).
The exhaustion brought on by these matches could be a factor in the upcoming matches.With the victory, Raonic has set up a quarterfinal challenge with American qualifier Robert Kendrick, who defeated wild card James Blake 7-6(5), 6-3 in the second round.
Tags: