Canadian Milos Raonic, coming off an injury-riddled 2017, booked a semifinal clash with comeback king Juan Martin del Potro at the ATP Tour’s Indian Wells Masters on Friday.
The 27-year-old Raonic defeated American Sam Querrey 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 to pick up just his fourth match win of the season and is seeking to capture his ninth career ATP Tour title.
Raonic relied on his big serve, firing 17 aces and winning 74% of his first-service points to reach the last-four stage of a Masters 1,000 event for the first time in 18 months..
He’ll be up against the eighth-ranked player in the world, Argentina’s del Potro, who beat German Philipp Kohlschreiber 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the day’s other quarterfinal.
“I am very happy I was able to put it together today,” Raonic said.Raonic lost in the final of this event in 2016 and has now made it to the semifinals in his last three appearances.
Raonic didn’t play in Indian Wells last year because of a string of injuries and surgeries that decimated his season.
del Potro can certainly sympathise with Raonic.
For del Potro, reaching the semis is another feather in the cap of his comeback from injuries as he is back in the top 10 for the first time since 2014.
del Potro, who won a title earlier this month in Acapulco, Mexico, fended off a stern challenge from Kohlschreiber.
The 29-year-old del Potro improved to 15-3 on the season as he is looking to get back into the Indian Wells final for the first time since 2013, when he lost to Rafael Nadal.
Osaka to meet Kasatkina
Japanese dynamo Naomi Osaka punched her ticket to the Indian Wells final on Friday, routing world No. 1 Simona Halep to set up a title clash with rising star Daria Kasatkina.
World No. 44 Osaka stormed past the top seeded Halep in stunning fashion with a 6-3, 6-0 win, while Russian juggernaut Daria Kasatkina wore down the 37-year-old seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams in three sets 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.
The results:
Men (quarterfinals): Milos Raonic bt Sam Querrey 7-5, 2-6, 6-3; Juan Martin del Potro bt Philipp Kohlschreiber 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Women (semifinals): Daria Kasatkina bt Venus Williams 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.
Naomi Osaka bt Simona Halep 6-3, 6-0.
