Raonic faces Frenchman Humbert in Paris quarters
Milos Raonic rode his big serving game to book a quarter-final spot against Ugo Humbert
Milos Raonic at Paris Open 2020
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Paris Masters, round of 16
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RAONIC d. GIRON 7-6(1), 6-2
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HUMBERT d. CILIC 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3
- Key info: Big servers meet different fates as Raonic prevails but Cilic falls.
- You will also learn: Ugo Humbert out-served Cilic in the aces column
- Why read this story: Raonic can stir the pot in every tournament with his serves, while Humbert gets closer to winning the Paris Masters as a Frenchman since Tsonga in 2008.
Raonic acing the test
It was Milos Ranoic who prevailed on Court 1 against American Marcos Garin behind 17 aces. The Canadian won in straight 7-6(1), 6-2.
The pair held throughout the first set up to the tiebreak, but it was Raonic who hasd the marginal advantage throughout. He served up three love-games in his serve, while having a break point and two set points over Giron. He carried that momentum to the tiebreak to go up 5-0 to start, and wrapped up with set with a 7-1 score in the tiebreak.
In the next set, it was all Raonic after Giron held in the first game, as the Canadian won five straight after that to gain a commanding lead. The American halted the run but it was too little, too late as Raonic served the match out shortly afterward.
The winner Marin Cilic and Ugo Humbert will be up next for the world No 17, and the balls would certainly take some punishment if the former wins.
French hope lives
Ugo Humbert looks to continue his good late-season run with a good Paris performance, and he got a step closer with a win over a tenacity Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-7(4), . The lefty also outmuscled Cilic on the serve, dropping 19 aces over the Croat’s 11.
The first set was a game of runs, with Humbert going up 3-0, Cilic tying it up at 3-3 and the Frenchman winning three straight again to prevail 6-3. Humbert went 3/6 on break points against the big server, which was definitely a thing to note.
The subsequent set saw a nervy affair that only ended up with one break point and a tiebreak. However, a mini-break at 3-3 for Cilic anchored his advantage as he went on to win the tiebreak 7-4.
The turning point came at 3-2 in the third, where Humbert finally broke thanks to a Cilic double fault and a fortuitous net bounce. That was enough as he held on to a 6-3 decider, his third straight three-setter in Paris.
