It took only 1h 15m for Raonic to win the semifinal in Memphis.
The Canadian was perfect in his serve game to win 29 points (out of 31) on his 1st serve. On top of it he did not concede any break point and he immediately converted the 2 break points he conquered during the match.
‘It’s a big thing, especially after the way I’ve been playing,’ said Raonic. ‘I think I’m a much better player, and I’ve matured a lot so I’ve given myself the opportunity a lot better. I felt last year I was more so squeezing through the matches and just riding the confidence from San Jose. … This year I feel like I’ve been coming out of the matches the better player. And also I have improved. I’m a better player than I was a year ago.’
On the other side of the draw Melzer defeated Stepanek in 3 sets (6-4 3-6 6-4) in slightly more than 2hours and it seems he is back to his best tennis.
‘Well, it’s obviously very satisfying,’ Melzer said.’I’ve played a great tournament so far, and reaching that final is something special. I haven’t played a final since 2010. It was a tough match today. I mean he’s obviously a tricky player. He knows what to do on the court, very offensive at times, just takes back a little bit the speed of his stroke. I had to stay focused. I had to play my game.’
Photo Credit to: Christopher Hynes
