Davis Cup: Raonic gives champion Canada fast start v Finland

The big-serving Raonic banged down 18 aces in a 6-3 7-5 defeat of lowly-ranked Finn Patrick Kaukovalta to put Canada 1-0 ahead in the best-of-three tie.

Milos Raonic of Canada looks on during the Quarter Final match against Patrick Kaukovalta of Finland in the Davis Cup at Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena on November 21, 2023 in Malaga, Spain. | Photo Credit: Getty Images for ITF

Canada’s Milos Raonic returned to Davis Cup action for the first time in five years to give the reigning champion a fast start in its Final Eight clash against Finland on Tuesday.

The big-serving Raonic banged down 18 aces in a 6-3 7-5 defeat of lowly-ranked Finn Patrick Kaukovalta to put Canada 1-0 ahead in the best-of-three tie.

Raonic began the match with a game of aces and ended it with another one after little more than an hour.

Both teams were hit by injuries, with Canada’s top-ranked player Felix Auger-Aliassime unable to take to court while Finland’s number one Emil Ruusuvuori was also ruled out.

Former world number three and Wimbledon runner-up Raonic has played only a handful of matches this year but had too much firepower for 782nd-ranked Kaukovalta, who put up a good fight in his first-ever Davis Cup singles rubber.

Gabriel Diallo will send Canada into the semi-finals if he beats Otto Virtanen in the second singles rubber.

Canada is looking to retain the title it won against Australia last year in Malaga and also make it a sweep for the country after the women won the Billie Jean King Cup.