LONDON: Milos Raonic made a winning start under coach John McEnroe as the Canadian third seed fought back to beat Australia’s Nick Kyrgios 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-4 at Queen’s Club on Wednesday.
Raonic hired American legend McEnroe as his new coach earlier this month and the pair are working together for the first time at the Wimbledon warm-up event in London.
McEnroe, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, has been putting Raonic through his paces on the practice courts at Queen’s for several days and the early returns on their relationship look promising as the world No.9 subdued the dangerous Kyrgios in a rain-interrupted first-round tie.
Raonic will face Czech world No. 68 Jiri Vesely for a place in the quarterfinals.
Juan Martin del Potro’s decision to skip the French Open in favor of preparing for the grass season backfired as the Argentine was beaten 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 by American seventh seed John Isner.
Croatia’s Marin Cilic, a former Queen’s and US Open champion, defeated Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 6-2 to book a quarter-final against American Steve Johnson, who beat France’s Adrian Mannarino 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
British wildcard Kyle Edmund enjoyed the best win of his promising career as he defeated French world No.18 Gilles Simon 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
South Africa-born Edmund is ranked 85 and the 21-year-old’s reward for shocking the eighth seed is a second-round meeting with France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu, who defeated British wildcard Daniel Evans 7-6 (10/8), 6-7 (6/8), 6-3.
Federer through; Nishikori out
Roger Federer got his bid for a ninth Halle grasscourt title off to a winning start on Wednesday with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) victory over Germany’s world No. 88 Jan-Lennard Struff.
The top seed and world No.3 will face Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri, ranked 64, for a place in the last eight, as he steps up his bid for another tilt at the Wimbledon title.
Japan’s world No.6 six Kei Nishikori suffered a pre-Wimbledon blow when he was forced to pull out of the Halle tournament with a rib injury.
Nishikori, seeded two in Germany behind Federer and a semifinalist in 2014 and 2015, was to play Florian Mayer, who was given a walkover into the quarterfinals.
“I’m very sad to not be able to go on playing,” said Nishikori, whose status for Wimbledon is not yet certain.
German teenager Alexander Zverev made the quarterfinals when compatriot Benjamin Becker, 16 years his senior, withdrew with an injury at 7-5, 3-0 down.
Zverev will next meet Cypriot veteran Marco Baghdatis who put out Dustin Brown, also of Germany, 7-5, 7-6 (10/8).
Philipp Kohlschreiber, the Stuttgart runner-up, enjoyed a 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) win over Spanish clay courter Marcel Granollers.
Raonic hired American legend McEnroe as his new coach earlier this month and the pair are working together for the first time at the Wimbledon warm-up event in London.
McEnroe, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, has been putting Raonic through his paces on the practice courts at Queen’s for several days and the early returns on their relationship look promising as the world No.9 subdued the dangerous Kyrgios in a rain-interrupted first-round tie.
Raonic will face Czech world No. 68 Jiri Vesely for a place in the quarterfinals.
Juan Martin del Potro’s decision to skip the French Open in favor of preparing for the grass season backfired as the Argentine was beaten 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 by American seventh seed John Isner.
Croatia’s Marin Cilic, a former Queen’s and US Open champion, defeated Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 6-2 to book a quarter-final against American Steve Johnson, who beat France’s Adrian Mannarino 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
British wildcard Kyle Edmund enjoyed the best win of his promising career as he defeated French world No.18 Gilles Simon 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
South Africa-born Edmund is ranked 85 and the 21-year-old’s reward for shocking the eighth seed is a second-round meeting with France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu, who defeated British wildcard Daniel Evans 7-6 (10/8), 6-7 (6/8), 6-3.
Federer through; Nishikori out
Roger Federer got his bid for a ninth Halle grasscourt title off to a winning start on Wednesday with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) victory over Germany’s world No. 88 Jan-Lennard Struff.
The top seed and world No.3 will face Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri, ranked 64, for a place in the last eight, as he steps up his bid for another tilt at the Wimbledon title.
Japan’s world No.6 six Kei Nishikori suffered a pre-Wimbledon blow when he was forced to pull out of the Halle tournament with a rib injury.
Nishikori, seeded two in Germany behind Federer and a semifinalist in 2014 and 2015, was to play Florian Mayer, who was given a walkover into the quarterfinals.
“I’m very sad to not be able to go on playing,” said Nishikori, whose status for Wimbledon is not yet certain.
German teenager Alexander Zverev made the quarterfinals when compatriot Benjamin Becker, 16 years his senior, withdrew with an injury at 7-5, 3-0 down.
Zverev will next meet Cypriot veteran Marco Baghdatis who put out Dustin Brown, also of Germany, 7-5, 7-6 (10/8).
Philipp Kohlschreiber, the Stuttgart runner-up, enjoyed a 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) win over Spanish clay courter Marcel Granollers.
