Milos Raonic fended off a spirited comeback from fourth seed Stan Wawrinka to send the 2014 champion tumbling out of the fourth round of the Australian Open 6-4 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-3 on Monday.
The 25-year-old Canadian, who had never beaten the French Open champion in four previous meetings, fired 24 aces and hit 82 winners in the three hour, 44 minute contest to reach the quarter-finals for the second year in a row.
Swiss Wawrinka fought back from losing the first two sets to force a decider but was unable to avoid exiting a grand slam before the quarter-finals for the first time since the 2014 French Open.
Raonic sealed the victory with a simple volley at the net to set up a quarter-final against France’s Gael Monfils.
