Milos Raonic Breaks Ace Record, Saves Match Points at Queen's Club

Milos Raonic, the former Wimbledon finalist, made a resounding statement at the Queen's Club on Monday, saving two match points to secure a thrilling first-round victory over home favorite Cameron Norrie. The towering Canadian also etched his name into tennis history by firing a record-breaking 47 aces during his three-set comeback.

Raonic's serve proved to be an unstoppable force against Norrie, the British No. 2. He unleashed 18 aces in the final set alone, including a blistering 232 kph (144 mph) rocket during the deciding tiebreak to seal the match.

"With the scoreline and having to save match points, I probably needed every single one of those!" Raonic exclaimed after the match. "This small record, it's something special, something meaningful. I'm glad that (it) also stands behind a win, because maybe I'd feel differently or maybe a bit more sour if I was to get that many free points and lose the match."

Raonic's record-breaking performance surpassed the previous mark of 45 aces set by Ivo Karlovic in 2014. The Croatian had equaled his own record a year later in Halle.

Raonic's new world record falls short of the all-time men's record for most aces in a match, which stands at 113 by John Isner in his epic 2010 Wimbledon victory over Nicolas Mahut. That match famously lasted over three days and ended with a marathon 70-68 scoreline in the fifth set.

Despite his impressive serve, Raonic has faced numerous injury setbacks throughout his career. He has undergone multiple surgeries for hip, feet, and wrist injuries, as well as a torn Achilles and a broken toe. This year, he withdrew from Indian Wells due to injury and retired against Alex de Minaur at the Australian Open.

Currently ranked No. 186 but once as high as world No. 3, Raonic is finding his form on grass-courts, the surface where he achieved his greatest success. He reached the 2016 Wimbledon final and the Queen's Club final that same year.

Last week, Raonic reached the quarterfinals in 's-Hertogenbosch, including a win over No. 8 seed Jordan Thompson. He followed that up with his victory over Norrie in London.

Raonic will now face the winner of the match between No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz and Taro Daniel, who will face off on Tuesday.

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