Vasek Pospisil of Canada receives treatment from a trainer in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Aaron Favila
January 16, 2014 - 2:47 AM
MELBOURNE, Australia - Canadian Milos Raonic will have to wait to complete his second-round match at the Australian Open.
The 11th seed from Thornhill, Ont., was leading Victor Hanescu of Romania 7-6 (9), 3-2 in their second-round match when rain began to fall and the match was postponed.
The contest began in the evening after tournament officials had lifted a hot weather ban which had halted play on all courts except the covered ones due to temperatures reaching 43.3 C on the third day of a record heat wave.
Raonic, 23, is bidding to reach the third round in Melbourne for a fourth consecutive year. Hanescu, seeded 76th, had beaten Raonic in the Rogers Cup first round in Toronto in 2010 but lost their next meeting in Chennai, India at the start of 2012.
Raonic found himself in a battle with Hanescu as they each held onto serve in a set which eventually went to a tiebreak.
The Canadian saved a Romanian set point but needed three of his own to earn the set after 56 minutes from 13 aces and 32 winners. In the second set, Raonic went up an early break and was in control when the rain began.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2014