Milos Raonic held his nerve despite a spirited comeback by fourth seed and 2014 champion Stanislas Wawrinka to win 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-3 and reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open here on Monday.
Raonic, the No. 13 seed, hit 82 winners, including 24 aces, to win in three hours and 44 minutes at the Rod Laver Arena.
The 25-year-old Raonic is the first Canadian man to reach all four Grand Slam championship quarter-finals.
"It was a tough match in general, for sure," said Wawrinka after the match.
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"I think Milos started really well. He was pushing (and) playing well. I wasn't really feeling great there, not playing my best."
"I wasn't moving to do something else. I'm surprised it still went five sets. I tried to fight like always, tried to find a solution," Wawrinka said.
"I think he went a little bit down with his speed, with his movement. I took the opportunity to push him to the fifth set. But, for sure, I'm disappointed."
Andy Murray enters last 8
Andy Murray also sealed his spot in the quarterfinal of the competition, after beating home favourite Bernard Tomic in straight sets in 6-4 6-4 7-6 in the fourth round on Monday.
Despite the win, however, the Scot felt it was a scrappy win and added that the last few days have been difficult for him.
“It was a scrappy match. The last few days have been pretty tough. It’s been a stressful few days. Things have been changing all the time. I’ll try to refocus,” he said.
