Roger Federer pins Milos Raonic to reach the fourth round draw – BNP Paribas Open 2012
World number three, Roger Federer, had a bit rough ride before he battered down the booming Canadian competitor, Milos Raonic, in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday night. The contest was played on the outdoor hard
courts of Indian Wells, California, with the Swiss Maestro winning the enthralling three-setter at 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4, to enter the fourth round of the mega event.
It was not an easy victory for the 16-time Grand Slam winner, Federer, who suffered a huge set loss early in the match. The third seed powerhouse made a thumping comeback in the following set, nailing down the 21-year-old to stamp
his authority. He carried on with his sheer brilliance and delivered a master class in the decisive set to turn the tables on the Canadian youngster.
“For me it was a difficult match,” Federer said after winning the exciting battle, “I've never played him before. He's probably seen me play a whole lot of times on TV which helps him out a bit. But I really did well. I hung in
there and played a great second set. The third set was close and I'm happy to be moving on in the tournament.”
The overall match statistics reflect a close contest throughout but it was the Swiss Maestro who dominated the last two sets to come out as the winner. Both men thumped 10 aces apiece and conceded six double faults in the match.
The only difference was made by the break point conversions of Federer. The third seed Swiss stung three out of four break points in the match, with Raonic utterly failing to convert any of his three break opportunities to finish on the losing side in the
end.
Federer will take on the Brazilian number one, Thomaz Bellucci, in the next round to battle for a place in the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open. Bellucci received a walkover in the third round draw of the tournament, as the
former world number three, Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, pulled out of the competition due to injury.
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