Raonic's National Bank Open run halted in 3rd round by unseeded American, Fernandez also ousted

There were occasional flashes of the old Milos Raonic during his run to the third round at the National Bank Open.

Expectations were low this week for the 32-year-old Canadian, just two months into a comeback after nearly two years away from the ATP Tour.

At times, Raonic looked like the player who was a force in the mid-2010s. At others, he appeared rusty and error-prone. His performance Thursday included more of the latter and it proved costly.

American Mackenzie McDonald rolled to a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Raonic in a rain-interrupted match that ended Canada's hopes in the singles draw at Sobeys Stadium.

"Some things came together well, some things I can hope to do better," Raonic said. "I did everything I could and it took me where it did."

WATCH | Raonic eliminated by McDonald:

The velocity of the booming serve that helped Raonic to a pair of early wins was down a tick in the afternoon matchup.

Unforced errors were also a problem for the former world No. 3, who couldn't find a groove against his more consistent opponent.

"I didn't have that same kind of speed on the serve that I needed to," Raonic said. "And it's just a buildup over the last few matches and these kind of things.

"I just needed to be better in that case, and I wasn't able to be."

However, Raonic seemed handcuffed by the 59th-ranked McDonald, who played a steady, effective style, seemingly content to keep the aggressiveness in check and let Raonic make mistakes.

The approach paid off with his first career appearance in a Masters 1000 quarterfinal.

McDonald will next play Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who pulled out a 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (4) upset win over third-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway.

McDonald broke Raonic in his opening service game in both sets and kept the Canadian guessing. He worked in the occasional serve and volley and his ball placement was on point.