Raonic Hits 38 Aces To Beat Stepanek; Querrey Back On Track

© Ron AngleSam Querrey won back-to-back matches for the first time since the US Open.

Man of the moment Milos Raonic recorded his sixth straight win Thursday as he hit a staggering 38 aces to beat Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-7(10), 7-6(1) and reach the quarter-finals of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis.

The Canadian showed his mental steel as he held strong to win in two hours and 32 minutes, having squandered four match points in the second-set tie-break. His career-high 38 aces was the most struck in Memphis and the fifth most in a three-set match, since the ATP World Tour began keeping serving statistics in 1991. It was the eighth time in his career on the ATP World Tour that he had hit 20 or more aces in a match.

The 20 year old defeated World No. 9 Fernando Verdasco twice in four days to win his first ATP World Tour title in San Jose last week and advance through the first round in Memphis on Wednesday. Prior to his impressive run at the U.S. indoor hard-court tournaments, Raonic had broken through as a qualifier at the Australian Open, where he defeated World No. 10 Mikhail Youzhny to reach his first Grand Slam fourth round.

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World No. 18 Sam Querrey won back-to-back matches for the first time since the US Open when he defeated Argentine Brian Dabul 6-3, 7-6(3) to reach the quarter-finals.

The fifth-seeded Querrey, who is the defending champion at the ATP World Tour 500 indoor tennis tournament, broke serve twice from two opportunities and won 89 per cent of points behind his first serve to wrap up victory in 80 minutes. The American ended a six-match losing streak with his opening win over Denis Istomin on Tuesday.

Former World No. 4 Juan Martin del Potro continued to look strong on the return trail from a wrist injury. One day after dismissing 2010 Memphis finalist John Isner in straight sets, the 22-year-old Argentine followed with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Croatian Ivan Dodig.

Del Potro, who was limited to three tournaments in 2010, achieved the best result of his comeback last week in San Jose, reaching the semi-finals (l. to Verdasco).

American qualifier Michael Russell dropped just six points on serve as he dismissed France’s Florent Serra 6-4, 6-4 to reach his first ATP World Tour quarter-final since Atlanta (l. to Isner) in July 2010. It is his best performance in three appearances in Memphis.