Following a surprisingly difficult opening round in Rotterdam, Canada’s Milos Raonic will look to make quick work of his second round opponent Simone Bolelli, whom he has met once before on the professional tour. Raonic leads the head-to-head series 1-0, with a win last season at the Rome Masters.

Follow the match here: Raonic v Bolelli Live

The world No. 6 had a difficult opening match at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, as he needed three sets to get past Andrey Kuznetsov 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-5. Raonic struck 19 aces and won 90% of his first service points, but still managed to drop the second set 6-1 before finishing the match in 1 hour and 54 minutes.

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“It’s about fighting through,” Raonic said after his three-set victory. “I kept my attitude together, which allowed me to get my game and find answers towards the end, and that’s why I was able to win.”

“I think there is a big target on my back. I’m the No. 6 player in the world right now, and I feel like I can do much better. Every round is an opportunity for someone to pick up a positive win.”

In his opening round match several days ago, Italy’s Simone Bolelli defeated Lukas Rosol in straight sets to reach the second round of the tournament. He beat his Czech adversary 6-3, 6-1 in a match where he won 79% of his first service points and four aces.

“He’s played great over the past 12 months,” Milos said of Bolelli. “I played him in Rome, and that was a very difficult match. I’m going to expect much of the same here.”

This marks just the second time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Raonic leading the head-to-head series 1-0 with a victory last season at the Rome Masters. While the Canadian had a difficult time in his opening match, he remained strong on serve and that will likely be the difference against the Italian on Thursday.

Prediction: Milos Raonic in Straight Sets