Milos Raonic made an emphatic return to his home court in Toronto earning a 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 victory over Frances Tiafoe.
Making his first appearance in his hometown, the Thornhill, Ont., native relied on his serve to beat the 10th-ranked player in the world, finishing with 37 aces in the match.
Raonic dropped the first set in a back-and-forth in a 20-minute tiebreaker that was won off a controversial point.
The American tracked down a Raonic shot that went off the net cord and answered with a cross-court shot that appeared to be a winner. However, chair umpire Fergus Murphy initially ruled that the American ran into the net before the ball bounced twice and awarded the point to Raonic.
That decision was then reversed when the umpire realized that Tiafoe touched the part of the net that is only used for doubles action. Since the touch came outside the singles stick, it did not matter that it occurred before Tiafoe’s shot bounced a second time.
In the second set, Raonic found himself trailing but would go on to win the tiebreaker and force a third and decisive set.
This is Raonic’s third tournament appearance since returning to the ATP Tour in June. The 32-year-old took a two-year break from play while recovering from injuries.
More to come.
