Novak Djokovic’s bid for a fifth Australian Open title is still very much alive after dispatching Gilles Muller in yet another straight-sets victory. He will face his toughest test, though, this coming Tuesday as he squares off with the big-serving Milos Raonic who’s coming off a grueling five-set victory against Feliciano Lopez.
Can Djokovic continue his mastery of Raonic and reach another Australian Open semifinal? Or will Raonic score a massive upset and enter the semifinal round of a grand slam tournament for the second time in his career?
Read on for a complete preview of this quarterfinal clash and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the quarterfinal between Japanese star Kei Nishikori and defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka here.
Top-seeded Novak Djokovic reached his 23rd consecutive grand slam quarterfinal after easing past Luxembourg’s Gilles Müller 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 in the fourth round of the 2015 Australian Open.
[sc:Other240banner ]It was another solid performance from the Serbian who has yet to drop a set in this year’s tournament. Key to his success so far has been his tremendous service game which he pointed out in an interview right after his fourth-round match with Müller.
Djokovic said, “Definitely what stands out is the serve. I got a lot of aces, got a lot of free points there.”
Through four rounds, Djokovic has won 180 of his 217 first serves for an impeccable 83 percent clip, seventh-best in the entire tournament. Djokovic used his accurate serve to disarm Müller, winning 53 of his 65 first serves (82%), in addition to him blasting 13 aces.
One of the key weapons in Djokovic’s arsenal that he will surely use in his quarterfinal match against Raonic is his ever-improving net game. With Boris Becker working in his corner, the Serbian has definitely learned quite a few tricks in attacking the net.
Djokovic won 15 of his 19 net points against Muller. It’s crucial for Djokovic to grab some easy points against Raonic who’s known to be a tireless workhorse on the court. He will fancy his chances of beating Raonic, though, as he has yet to lose to the Canadian in three career meetings.
He has faced the Canadian just once, though, in the hard surfaces, winning 6-2, 6-3 in the final of the Paris Masters last year.
Milos Raonic blasted his way into the quarterfinals of the 2015 Australian Open with a heart-stopping 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-3 victory over Feliciano Lopez. Raonic needed three hours and five minutes to edge past the 12th-seeded Spaniard to seal his first ever appearance in the last eight of the Australian Open.
Raonic’s win helped him join Robert Powell as the only Canadian players to reach the quarterfinals in three major events. His victory, though, wasn’t easy by any means as he was pushed to the brink by a determined Lopez.
Raonic lost a set for the first time in this tournament as Lopez held firm against the Canadian’s booming serves. Raonic managed to pull through in the end though, breaking Lopez’s serve in the eighth game of the fifth set before closing out the match with four towering serves.
Key to Raonic’s win was once again his excellent service game. He blasted 30 aces in his match against Lopez and was helped as well by a whopping 81 winners. Through four rounds, the Canadian has racked up a total of 99 aces, the best mark in the tournament so far.
If he is to upset Djokovic, though, in the quarterfinals, he needs to take advantage of his break point opportunities. Raonic struggled against Lopez in this department, converting just 3 of 13 break point chances for a measly 23 percent clip.
Getting break chances against Djokovic will be few and far between so it is paramount for Raonic to pounce when these opportunities arise against the eight-time grand slam champion. It will be easier said than done, though, considering Djokovic is playing some terrific tennis right now. In his win against Muller, Djokovic registered 47 winners and only had 16 unforced errors.
Not helping matters for Raonic is his recent struggles when facing Djokovic. In three meetings with the world number one, he has only managed to win just one set. That came in the 2013 Rome Masters where he lost in three tough sets, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Writer’s Prediction
Djokovic drops his first set of the tournament but eventually pulls off the tough four-set win.
