Canada's Raonic outlasts No. 9 seed Tiafoe in opening round of National Bank Open
CBC
An unusual set-ending ruling didn't go Milos Raonic's way Monday night. The veteran Canadian made sure it didn't lead to his first-round exit at the National Bank Open in Toronto.
Raonic overcame the decision and outlasted American Frances Tiafoe 6-7 (12), 7-6 (4), 6-3 in an epic opening night showdown at Sobeys Stadium.
"It doesn't matter how much you do the right things, you never know when things [will] click and things come together for you," Raonic said. "For me, it's incredibly special for it to be here."
WATCH | Raonic defeats Tiafoe in instant classic:
It was a long-awaited triumphant return for the 32-year-old from nearby Thornhill, Ont.
Tiafoe broke the Canadian in the opening game but Raonic found his form later in the set. He touched 229 km/h with his first serve at times and kept pace with the fleet-footed American.
Raonic later broke back to set up a 20-minute tiebreaker. The Canadian had three chances to take the set, but it was Tiafoe who finally converted on his fifth set point.
On the deciding point, a Raonic return clipped the tape on top of the net, popped up in the air and bounced on Tiafoe's side.
The American lunged forward and made a cross-court winner. However, Tiafoe grabbed the top of the net as his momentum took him forward, which would normally cost him the point.
However, the chair umpire ruled in Tiafoe's favour and a second on-court official confirmed the decision.
Raonic said the original call went his way but the umpire changed his mind. The discussion then shifted to which part of the net was touched, he added.
"I don't have faith that they were being completely honest, but it is what it is," Raonic said. "I think they just handled it badly. Whatever the rule [was], I just don't think it was handled [well]."
The partisan crowd at Sobeys Stadium voiced its disapproval and Raonic smashed his racket on the player's bench.
Raonic was able to reset and didn't let the frustration affect his performance. His serve was his main weapon as he finished with a 37-8 edge in aces.