Canada’s Raonic out of Qatar Open after second-round loss to French qualifier

DOHA, Qatar — Canada’s Milos Raonic is out of the Qatar Open tennis tournament after losing 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) to French qualifier Corentin Moutet in second-round action on Wednesday.

Raonic, who had a first-round bye after being seeded fourth in Doha, had 14 aces but was accurate on just 55 per cent of his first serves. That came back to hurt Raonic in a match that allowed little room for error, as Raonic won just 56 per cent of second-serve points.

The 20-year-old Moutet showed poise against the Canadian veteran. He was accurate on 74 per cent of his first serves, won 71 per cent of first-serve points and 63 per cent of second-serve points. He also had just three double-faults to five for Raonic.

Both players were broken just once on three opportunities.

The 29-year-old Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., was making his first appearance on court since Oct. 30, when he fell to Dominic Thiem in the second round of the Paris Masters. He missed Canada’s run to the Davis Cup final in November with a back injury.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 8, 2020.

The Canadian Press