MIAMI — Canada’s Milos Raonic cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win over Australia’s Jordan Thompson in second-round action Saturday at the Miami Open.
Raonic, the 12th seed in Miami, fired 14 aces and won 96 per cent of first serve points to advance to the third round of the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., didn’t face break point and converted three of the seven break opportunities he had against Thompson.
The Canadian said he was happy with the quick start in Miami after struggling at a tournament in Acapulco, Mexico, earlier this month, where he was upset in the round of 16 to world No. 71 Dominik Koepfer.
“To start the tournament like this was very positive,” Raonic said. “I was much better with my serve than I was at the last tournament. I feel better physically as well, so all those things are trending in a positive way for me.”
Raonic said he picked up an injury at the Australian Open, where he lost in the round of 16 to eventual winner Novak Djokovic, and may have returned to action too early at Acapulco.
“I didn’t give myself an honest effort to be able to be ready in time,” Raonic said. “Since my last match in Acapulco to today I think it’s been almost 10 days. That has helped me a lot and I hope it’s something I can sustain physically for the rest of the event.”
It was the first meeting between the Canadian veteran and the 60th-ranked Australian.
Raonic, who had a first-round bye, will next face either France’s Ugo Humbert or Portugal’s Joao Sousa.
Raonic has reached the Miami quarterfinals three times, most recently in 2018.
Later Saturday, sixth-seed Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., was scheduled to face Ilya Avashka of Belarus.
Fellow Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal booked his spot in the third round with a 6-4, 6-4 win over France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert on Friday. Auger-Aliassime will face American veteran John Isner on Sunday.
On the women’s side, eighth seed Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., will face American Amanda Anisimova on Sunday; Andreescu advanced to the third round with a 7-6 (5), 6-2 win over Tereza Martincova on Friday.