Big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic stunned an out-of-sorts Roger Federer to win the Brisbane International 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday.
Raonic, 25, broke the 17-time grand slam champion once in each set to win the final, only his second win over Federer in 11 meetings.
Federer, who had been improving every round after starting the tournament with a slight illness, was no match for Raonic, who served powerfully and came to the net at every opportunity.
The win gave Raonic his eighth title on the ATP tour and reversed the result of last year’s final, won by 34-year-old Federer in three tight sets.
Federer was off his game throughout, serving at only 55 per cent and struggling to make any impression on the big-hitting Canadian.
The top seed had to save two break points in the fifth game of the first set and then faced another two in the ninth.
He saved the first but put a forehand into the net on the second to go behind 4-5. Raonic had no trouble serving for the set, wrapping up the opener in 41 minutes.
Raonic took a medical timeout at 2-1 in the second set to have treatment on his right leg. When he returned he served four double faults to give Federer his first break point of the match.
But Federer was unable to take advantage and games remained on serve until the seventh game, when Federer let a 30-0 lead slip to give Raomic a break point, then netted a backhand to give the Canadian the vital break.
Raonic, who only faced the one break point in the match, never looked like faltering and claimed the title when a Federer backhand sailed long.
Kvitova and Radwanska out of Sydney
Defending champion Petra Kvitova and second seed Agnieszka Radwanska are the latest players to have troubled build-ups to this month’s Australian Open after pulling out of the Sydney International.
Third-seeded Czech Kvitova will not be able to defend her Sydney title after succumbing to a gastrointestinal illness, which plagued her in China last week.
Poland’s Radwanska joined Kvitova after withdrawing from the Sydney tournament with a left leg injury.
Their withdrawals from the final lead-up tournament to the year’s first grand slam event came after injury problems at other Australian tournaments for the world’s top-four ranked stars Serena Williams (knee), Simona Halep (Achilles), Garbine Muguruza (foot) and Maria Sharapova (forearm).
“I’m really disappointed to have to withdraw from the Sydney International but unfortunately I am still not feeling well,” Kvitova said.
It is the second consecutive event from which the world number six has withdrawn in the new year. She retired with a stomach virus during the first round of the Shenzhen Open in China last week.
Radwanska said she needed to rest her leg after playing five matches in the past week.
“I’m really sorry that I can’t play in Sydney this week. I am feeling very confident in my game at the moment and the results are there, but after five matches in the past week my leg needs some recovery time,” she said.
In Sunday’s matches, 2014 champion Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova upset Lesia Tsurenko 7-6 (8/6) 6-2 to set up a second-round encounter with Swiss star Belinda Bencic.
Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic accounted for American Coco Vandeweghe in straight sets and Caroline Garcia won the all-French match with Kristina Mladenovic 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.
Serbia’s world No 16 Ana Ivanovic, who was granted wild card entry into the main draw, was knocked out by Czech Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-2.
It was her second first-round exit in as many weeks after losing to Britain’s world No 122 Naomi Brady in Brisbane last week.
The Australian Open gets underway in Melbourne on January 18.
Bouchard’s ‘zero expectation’
Eugenie Bouchard is heading into the Australian Open with “zero expectations” of success after a year plagued by injury and poor form.
Following a breakout year in 2014, the Canadian tumbled out of the top 10 with first round exits at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Worse was to come, with a dramatic locker room fall leaving her concussed and forced to withdraw from the US Open, an incident which prompted the former world No five to sue the United States Tennis Association (USTA).
After three months away from the tour, Bouchard made a positive return at Shenzhen last week, winning her first two matches before being beaten in the quarter-finals.
She continues her preparations for the Australian Open at the Hobart International this week but was playing down her prospects of a return to winning ways in the immediate future.
“A month or two ago I wasn’t even sure I could play the Australian Open so I’m just so happy to be in Australia, looking forward to playing these two tournaments (with) zero expectations,” the 21-year-old said.
“I’m feeling good ... I didn’t want to play if I wasn’t somewhat prepared, so I worked really hard in the off season to try to catch up a bit.”
Returning at Shenzhen was a relief for the Canadian, whose run to the 2014 Wimbledon final and the Australian and French semi-finals in the same year saw her touted as a future world No 1.
“To step on the court and play a full match with no pain, play three matches three days in a row, was a success for me even though I lost the last match,” said Bouchard, now ranked 49th in the world after peaking at five in Oct. 2014.
“I just feel like I still have a bit of that match rustiness, not quite that sharpness where I had maybe at the end of the year when I play a lot,” she said.
“It’s just about getting that back, playing more matches.
“I don’t know how long that will take, it’s a long journey but I’m ready to do it.”
Bouchard will face American Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the first round in Hobart.
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