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Brisbane International 2017: Friday Tennis Scores, Results and Updated Schedule
- Updated: January 6, 2017
Top seed Milos Raonic recovered from a set down to beat Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in their Brisbane International quarter-final clash on Friday.
Nadal was the stronger man early on, although Raonic settled into a superb rhythm on his serve to take the game away from his opponent. The Canadian will face Grigor Dimitrov in the last four after the Bulgarian got the better of Dominic Thiem. The second semi-final will be an entertaining one, too, with second seed Stan Wawrinka to face third seed Kei Nishikori.
In the women’s draw there was disappointment for Garbine Muguruza, as the fourth seed retired from her match with Alize Cornet. The Frenchwoman’s opponent in the final will be determined later in the day, when Karolina Pliskova and Elina Svitolina face off.
Here are the results from Friday’s matches and a look back at another absorbing day in Brisbane as the competition moves toward a thrilling conclusion.
Provisional order of play to follow..
Friday Recap
Nadal started this marquee match with a swagger, putting Raonic under pressure and grabbing an early break of serve against the Canadian. It was a blow that saw the Spaniard grow in confidence, and he was able to serve the set out with relative ease.
Raonic made major improvements as a player in 2016, most notably in terms of his mental strength, and that was on show as he launched his comeback.
After saving two break points at 2-2 in the second set, Raonic pushed on, breaking Nadal’s serve to move 5-3 ahead and then using his exceptional ability with the ball in hand to level the match up. By now, the world No. 3 had wrestled back momentum in the match.
The decider followed a similar tone, as Nadal …