NEW YORK (Reuters) – Canadian Milos Raonic harnessed his monster serve to upset Greek world number six Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(5) 6-3 on Friday to reach the final of the Western & Southern Open.
The win propelled 29-year-old Raonic into his 22nd final, where he faces either world number one Novak Djokovic or Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut, as he fights for a ninth career title.
Raonic, who also beat 22-year-old Greek in the third round of this year’s Australian Open, fired 12 aces and won 90% of his first serves at Flushing Meadows, which is temporary host to the fanless tournament amid the new coronavirus outbreak.
Tsitsipas struggled to get back into the match after losing the first-set tiebreak, exiting the final tune-up event for the U.S. Open, where he is one of several younger competitors tipped to make an impact as the Grand Slam starts on Monday.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery; Editing by Ken Ferris)
