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Milos Raonic untroubled in a successful return to action in Madrid Monday

Milos Raonic untroubled in a successful return to action in Madrid Monday

On the day he returned to the ATP Tour’s top 10, Canadian Milos Raonic showed why he merits that spot.

The 25-year-old from Thornhill, Ont. survived a stiff early challenge from talented Brazilian left-hander Thomaz Bellucci to run away with his first-round match at the Mutua Madrid Open, 7-6 (4), 6-1.

From the moment in the first-set tiebreak when Bellucci led 3-2, Raonic won 34 of the remaining 47 points.

His second-round opponent will be Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine.

Raonic has been idle since reaching the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters 2 1/2 weeks ago; he won just two games in a desultory loss to Andy Murray of Great Britain.

Last week, he was in coach Carlos Moyá’s home country of Mallorca, practicing on the clay with, among others, the same Andy Murray.

The adductor issue that recurred in Monte Carlo and had a lot to do with the lopsided score against Murray was not in evidence Monday.

In Bellucci, he faced a hugely gifted opponent, but one whose maddening inconsistency is trying to his fans, his team and more than anyone, likely himself.

The Brazilian likely wasn't helped by the sharp shadows in the uniquely-designed Arantxa Sanchez court in Madrid; with the shade cutting sharply across one end of the court. Imagine trying to pick Raonic's big serve as it comes out of the dark into the light.

From the dark into the bright sunshine, Thomaz Bellucci's task was to try to track Milos Raonic's big delivery. 
From the dark into the bright sunshine, Thomaz Bellucci's task was to try to track Milos Raonic's big delivery. 

He stayed with Raonic point for point in a high-quality first set. Both players were looking to dominate with their forehands but with Bellucci being a lefty, were at cross purposes in that regard. Still, Raonic’s backhand was solid, as it has been for much of this season.

Neither faced a break point until the tiebreak and in the decider, there were five mini-breaks of serve. The last two were created by Raonic on Bellucci’s serve and after that, Bellucci just went away.

Raonic broke him in the first game, broke him again to take a 4-1 lead and it was basically over.

The Canadian, seeded No. 11, won this one from the baseline; he tried a few approach shots early in the first set but after being successful on just one of four, pretty much left that weapon in his tennis bag. He didn’t need it.

And yes, he remains sleeveless, just as he did in Monte Carlo.

The big news out of Madrid Monday was the withdrawal of Roger Federer. Federer, who originally had planned to skip the entire clay-court season leading up to the French Open, decided to play Madrid and arrived in good health. But he told the media in Madrid that he tweaked his back in practice Saturday, and is being cautious. He hopes to play next week's Masters 1000 tournament in Rome.

His withdrawal doesn't affect the other sections of the draw – Raonic has No. 7 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and No. 1 Novak Djokovic potentially ahead of him – but it has a big impact on Federer's former section. On paper, he was slated for a showdown with longtime rival Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals, with the rising youngster Dominic Thiem also potentially in his way.