Milos Raonic made Canadian history on Sunday afternoon when he secured entry into the quarter-final round of the French Open. It marked his first ever Grand Slam quarter-final and is a testament to his evolving game.
Raonic defeated Spain’s Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to earn one of the biggest wins of his professional career. He will next face world No. 2 Novak Djokovic for a spot in the semi-final round.
The 23-year-old is not surprised that he finally made the quarter-final round of a Major championship, but he certainly did not expect his first one to be on clay.
“I’m not surprised to make by first Grand Slam quarter-final but I would not have thought I would have done it first here on clay,” said Raonic. “I’ve always felt I could play well on clay.
“The key is not making much of a change in my game just for the clay. I’ve been trying to keep what I’ve been doing on the hardcourts.”
Raonic will be the first Canadian man to play a Grand Slam quarter-final since Mike Belkin at the 1968 Australia Open.
Eugenie Bouchard also made history as the first Canadian to reach the quarter-final in Paris since Helen Kelesi did it in 1989.
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I predict that Raonic will defeat the Djoker in 5 sets!