Canadian veteran Raonic fires 25 aces in victory over Bautista Agut at Libema Open – Sport

Photo: The Canadian Press

Veteran Canadian Milos Raonic advanced to the men’s quarter-finals at the Libema Open on Thursday with a 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 win over Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut on Thursday.

The 33-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., fired 25 aces, winning 78 per cent of his total service points. He didn’t save the only break point he faced, but broke Bautista Agut three times on four occasions.

Raonic improved to 6-0 in his career against Bautista Agut, although it was the first meeting between the veterans since 2017.

Raonic will play top seed Alex de Minaur of Australia on Friday at the ATP 250 event in s’Hertogenbosch, Holland. De Minaur is 2-0 against Raonic, including in the first round of this year’s Australian Open when Raonic withdrew due to injury.

Raonic joins Bianca Andreescu in the Libema quarters. Andreescu, 23, from Mississauga, Ontario, faces former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka of Japan on Friday.

In other grass-court results, Italy’s Matteo Berrettini defeated wild card Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday in the second round of the Boss Open in Stuttgart, Germany.

Berrettini broke Shapovalov twice on three occasions while defending the only break he faced.

In Nottingham, England, a women’s doubles second-round match between Ottawa top seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand and British tandem Alicia Barnet and Freya Christie was suspended due to weather.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 13, 2024.