Raonic advances to last 16 at Toronto Masters

Canada’s Milos Raonic defeated Serbia’s Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-4 at the Toronto Masters on Tuesday to set up a potential third-round showdown with Olympic champion Andy Murray while eighth seed John Isner survived a tough test. Playing in his hometown tournament for the first time since cracking the world’s top-25, Raonic was not at his best but held serve throughout the 69-minute match while a rowdy crowd waved red signs with “Go Canada” splashed across in white letters. “I’m proud with the way I competed, with the way I played, I did a lot of important things well but I have some space for improvements for my next match,” Raonic told reporters. “I was pretty fluid and relaxed most of the match ... but I got a bit sloppy, maybe trying to force a little bit too much in the last few return games on his serve, and I was making some sloppy errors and giving away too many points at that point.” The big-serving 21-year-old, who will join forces with Troicki for a doubles match on Wednesday, broke his opponent in the eighth game of the opening set for a 5-3 lead and remained in relative control the rest of the way. The match was Raonic’s first since his 6-3, 3-6, 25-23 loss to Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga last week in what was at the time the longest three-set match in Olympic tennis history. Raonic, who as the tournament’s 16th seed had a first-round bye, will play the winner of Wednesday’s match between Murray and Italian qualifier Flavio Cipolla for a spot in the quarter-final of the tournament. Isner, playing his first match since losing to world number one Roger Federer in the quarter-finals at the London Olympics, needed one hour and 48 minutes to secure a 7-6, 7-5 victory over a plucky Pablo Andujar of Spain. Andujar, the world No. 44, managed to frustrate Isner by chasing down an array of shots but ultimately ran out of answers as Isner, who recorded 17 aces, relied on his power and his big serve to advance. Meantime, Novak Djokovic began the post-Olympic switch from Wimbledon grass to North American hardcourt on Tuesday, with the Serb top seed admitting he’s unsure how well he will compete this week at the Toronto Masters. The world No. 2, who left the London Games without a medal, will have had a day to acclimate before starting his title defense in the second round against Australian Bernard Tomic after receiving a first round bye. The pair have played twice on the ATP, at Wimbledon and Rome, with the Serb winning both meetings. “The transition from grass court to hard court is going to be very difficult because we have very little time, only a few days,” Djokovic said. “But we were aware of that fact at the start of the season. “Now we will try to do it in the most efficient, best possible way. How it’s going to go, I’m not sure. I cannot predict anything else in my opening match. “But it will obviously take a little bit of time to do that.” Tomic ended a recent loss streak with his first round win in Canada and Djokovic admitted that his opponent — also from a Balkan background — will be a tough ask as a starter. “I’ve practiced with him many, many times, this will be our first encounter on hard court. Obviously with his style of game he prefers a bit faster surfaces and plays a lot of flat shots,” said the Serb. “He has a lot of variety, a lot of talent in his game,” he said of the number 49, the only teenager in the ATP top 50. “He comes up with some shots that are really unexpected, so he can be very dangerous.”