Milos Raonic vs Andy Murray preview

Friday January 29, 2016 19:30pm – Rod Laver Arena

Milos Raonic is perhaps the surprise name in this year’s Australian Open semi-final line-up, but can the Canadian produce his biggest upset yet by beating World No. 2 Andy Murray?

Raonic eyeing first Grand Slam final

Milos Raonic has refused to follow the script in this event so far and will now set out to write his own fairy-tale ending. Standing in his way is a man who has been there and done it at this level plenty of times before.

The Canadian booked his place in the semis with a solid four-set win over 23rd-ranked Gael Monfils, but he will now facing a much tougher test in the form of Murray. He has a decent 4-4 record against the Scot but has never beaten him at a Grand Slam event. In addition, Murray has come out on top in their last two encounters.

Raonic won 84% of his points on the first serve against Monfils, but his return point’s stats were not great. If he wants to progress to the final he will need to find a way to deal with Murray’s big service game and capitalise on the any mistakes that his error-prone opponent makes.

Murray on familiar ground

Andy Murray is just one step away from his fifth Australian Open final and yet another showdown with Novak Djokovic.

The Scot needed four sets to overcome tough Spaniard David Ferrer in the quarter-finals, but looks to be in good shape heading into the last four.

The World No. 2 once again allowed a few needless errors to creep into his game, but his dominant serve and new-found confidence at the net was enough to see him through.

Perhaps the most significant improvement in his game has been his second serve. The 28-year-old has seems to have finally ironed out this once-troublesome area of his game.

Prediction

Murray is on familiar ground and knows what it takes to reach and Aussie final. Raonic could grab a set but the Scot should prevail to secure a showdown with Djokovic.

You can back Murray to win 3-1 at 11/4 with Bet365