Tomas Berdych bows out to Milos Raonic at Cincinnati Masters – Tennis News
Fifth seed, Tomas Berdych, was edged out by the Canadian top ranked star, Milos Raonic, in gruelling three sets at the Western and Southern Open 2012 on Thursday. He endured a 4-6, 6-2, 2-6 loss at the hands of the unseeded Canadian in the third round at
this Emirates Airline US Open Series event held in Ohio, United States.
The Czech number one fought back to grab the equaliser but lost his track again in the final set, eventually exiting from the tournament in the round of 16.
The booming Canadian stated in a courtside interview after stealing the limelight:
"I think he prefers it more than I do. I think that was the issue with the second set: I was just trying to play a little bit too flat and hard through him. I wasn't using height and sort of angles to pull him off the court. I think he does that better than
I do. But it was a good match for me. I did a lot of things well, and I'm happy with the way I closed it out after I had a really bad lapse in the second set."
Raonic stepped into the Lindner Family Tennis Center in high spirits. He quickly pocketed his entire serves without encountering any trouble and cashed in the lone break opportunity in the ninth game, eventually sealing the opener with a 6-4 success.
Ranked seventh in the world, Berdych rebounded in the proceeding set. He got the desiderated break in the second game to leap to a 3-0 lead. The Czech plucked his entire serves without facing any breakpoint and cashed in another break chance in the last
game to click the equaliser with a 6-2 win.
The match was poised on a knife edge but the 26-year-old lost his track again. He suffered the first blow in the third game and fell at 1-3. Berdych held his serve once again but stepped off gas, subsequently losing the last three games. He failed to seek
any break chance and suffered a 2-6 loss.
Berdych faced 20 aces and dusted away only five out of eight breakpoints he came across in this one hour and 52-minute battle. He clobbered a lower first serve share of 49 per cent as opposed to his rival’s 65 per cent and spilled more double faults.
The Canadian on the other end secured a quarter-final place. He will square off against Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka who jolted down 14th seeded Kei Nishikori in straight sets to set up this meeting.
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