It’s safe to say day four at the Rogers Cup didn’t go as planned. Luckily, Milos and Serena and King Nole are here to help ease the shock of Eugenie Bouchard’s second-round upset.
Here’s a look at three must-sees in Wednesday’s action:
Milos time:
The moment the Toronto crowd has been waiting for is here: Milos Raonic opens his campaign at the 2014 Rogers Cup at 6:30pm ET. He’ll face American Jack Sock, a recently crowned Wimbledon doubles champ, and the partner of fellow Canadian, Vasek Pospisil, who was ousted from the tournament in singles action yesterday.
The 23-year-old Raonic, ranked No. 6 in the world and coming off his first-ever grand slam semi-final appearance at Wimbledon, will command a ton of fanfare and excitement in Toronto. But as he told Sportsnet in an interview earlier this season, the hometown pressure cooker doesn’t get to him. “Subconsciously, I’ve played well,” Raonic said. “It’s nice to have that comfort and not be putting too much pressure on myself, and to be able to play well in those situations with all the attention.”
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Raonic went on a run last year at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, advancing to the final before losing in straight sets to Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard won’t be in Raonic’s way this year since a wrist injury forced him to withdraw from the tournament.
The main roadblock on the Canadian’s side of the draw is Roger Federer, a rematch Raonic must be looking forward to since dropping a straight sets decision to the Swiss star at Wimbledon.
Raonic’s made no bones about the fact he found that match disappointing and frustrating. Also, coming off a win this past Sunday, expect the lone Canadian left in the men’s singles draw to come out guns blazin’.
Serena-Stosur rematch:
Serena Williams will be looking to win her second straight Rogers Cup, and she starts her title defence against a familiar adversary in Sam Stosur. It was the Aussie who, back in 2011, upset Williams to win the U.S. Open.
As you may recall, Williams called chair umpire Eva Asderaki “unattractive inside” and then refused to shake her hand at the end of that match.
That said, Williams hasn’t lost to Stosur since that meeting. She leads head-to-head matchups 6-3.
The world No. 1 is also coming off a win at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford last week. She’s looking for her fifth title of the season.
King Nole takes court:
The world’s other No. 1, Novak Djokovic, also makes his debut at the 2014 Rogers Cup today. The three-time champion of the Canadian event will face Gaels Monfils at 1pm ET in Toronto.
In nine Djokovic-Monfils meetings, the score is 9-0, King Nole.
Djokovic is coming off a win at Wimbledon last month, where he reclaimed the world’s top ranking from Nadal.
