AO - Night 9 - Djokovic v Raonic

Night Nine of 2020 AO on RLA saw defending champion Novak Djokovic play Canadian Milos Raonic in a quarter final.

Djokovic had won all previous nine encounters between the pair.

The #2 seed opened impressively, a winning drop shot and two unreturned serves in a love game.

Raonic levelled, including two forehand winners. Djokovic served a second love game, sealing it with a forehand winner.

Raonic was the first in strife on serve. An ace was countered by a double fault and a break point came after a series of errors.

It was saved, as were two others.

Djokovic casually threw in his third straight love game, to lead 3-2, then again pressured the Canadian delivery, creating another break point. Raonic saved it for 3–3.

Both players saved a break point in the next two games, and the score reached 4-4. Djokovic came within a game of taking the set after a comfortable hold in the ninth game.

Raonic served at 4-5. He had a game point at 40-30 after Djokovic won the first two points. Raonic mucked up a volley and it was deuce. Djokovic forced an error and produced set point. Saved by a huge unreturnable serve. Another big serve brought up game point. Wasted when Raonic hit out of court. A second set point after a Djokovic forehand gem. Saved by a Raonic forehand winner. A third set point arrived following a double fault. Saved by a typical giant serve. A fourth set point came with a forehand error from Raonic. This one was converted once a Canadian forehand sailed wide. Djokovic led 6-4.

At 1-2 and on serve in set two, Raonic ran into trouble. He saved two break points, but fell on the third, and Djokovic increased his lead to 3-1. Games then went with serve, although Djokovic was taken to deuce three times in the second game before holding.

Serving at 5-3, Djokovic contributed a love game to take a 6-4 6-3 lead.

Only one break point arose through ten games of the third set, and that was in the second game, but predictably Raonic saved it.

At 5-5, in an eighteen point game, Raonic saved four more break points.

Djokovic served another love game to take it into a tie break.

Djokovic took the first and fifth points off of the Raonic serve, leaving the Serb ahead 4-1 with two serves to come. He won points off both those to bring him five match points. He won the tie break, the set, and the match off the next Raonic serve.

Novak Djokovic joined Federer in the semi finals 6-4 6-3 7-6(1).