Milos Raonic is tearing up the competition at the Barcelona Open

Thornhill native Milos Raonic is seeded at an ATP tour event for the first time in his career. Heading into competition at the Barcelona Open this week, Raonic was ranked 28th in the world after a blistering 20 wins (and only six losses). He earned the 15th seed at the tournament, and lived up to his billing yesterday with a gritty three-set victory over Germany’s Simon Greul, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5). In first-round action, Raonic knocked off Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, a top-75 player himself, in straight sets.

Next up for the 20-year old is a tough contest against 56th-ranked Croatian Ivan Dodig. Dodig stunned third-seeded Robin Soderling of Sweden yesterday, setting the first match between Raonic and Dodig on the pro tour.

• Raonic into round of 16 in Barcelona [Toronto Sun] • Milos Raonic advances to third round of Barcelona Open [Globe and Mail]