MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Maverick Miilos Raonic got a taste of the other end of spectrum in the opening round of China Open Monday.
After a brilliant outing at the St. Petersburg Open in Russia last week where he won it all, the Australian was dealt a beating, going 4-6, 4-6 against Viktor Troicki, according to the ATP World Tour's official site.
Troicki, ranked No. 24 in the World, "neutralized the power of [the] big-serving Canadian," the report added. Raonic currently sits at No. 9 in the world rankings and is seeded fifth in the tournament.
The match, which saw the Serbian unleash an efficient 70 percent in first serves, took only 76 minutes.
Raonic will now have to deal with catching up to David Ferrer's Emirates ATP Race to London points as he now trails 2,080 to the latter's 3,255.
Raonic is also scheduled to grace the IPTL's second leg here in December, as he is expected to play alongside Serena Williams, Sabine Lisicki and Richard Gasquet for the Philippine Mavericks.
(Sources from Philstar.com and Philippinemavericks.com)