Big-serving world No.14 Milos Raonic has had to dig deep to avoid becoming the second men’s seed to fall in the Brisbane International second round on Thursday.
The Canadian fourth seed held on for a 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-4 win over Croatian qualifier Ivan Dodig on Pat Rafter Arena.
He booked a quarterfinal showdown with Frenchman Lucas Pouille, who bounced Belgian sixth seed David Goffin out of the tournament.
World No.78 Pouille upset the Belgian Davis Cup hero 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3 in a match lasting more than two hours.
Raonic got a work out from the dogged world No.87.
Former Brisbane finalist Raonic made 21 unforced errors to Dodig’s four on his way to losing the first set tiebreak before regrouping against the world top 10 doubles player.
In the end, Raonic fired down 17 aces with serves threatening 230km/h.
The 2014 Wimbledon semifinalist believes he has added to his arsenal under new coach and 1998 French Open champion Carlos Moya.
And it has him primed for a landmark 2016, starting at the Australian Open.
“I think I want to make a true breakthrough at a slam,” Raonic said.
“I think my level is there that I can really have a big affect on the top tier tournaments – I just need to put it together.”
And it seems Raonic’s confidence is contagious.
Raonic claimed “his generation”, including the likes of Japan’s Kei Nishikori, were ready to step up against the old guard led by dominant No.1 Novak Djokovic in 2016.
“I believe we are. It’s hopefully something that will change sooner than later,” he said.
Earlier, Goffin had hoped to reach the Brisbane quarterfinals for the first time after a breakthrough year.
He completed his 2015 campaign as world No.16 – the highest year-end ranking by a Belgian.
He also led his country to its first Davis Cup final appearance since 1904.
But the 25-year-old dropped a first-set tiebreak and a key service game in the third set to be bundled out of the tournament.