Milos Raonic eases past Illya Marchenko to reach second round

Milos Raonic has secured a place in the second round of the Australian Open with a 7-6 7-6 6-3 victory over Illya Marchenko in Melbourne.

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Marchenko's defensive ability made life difficult for Raonic in the early stages of the match, but he relied on his serve to force his rival into a tie-break, before taking the opener with a 7-3 success.

The pattern was similar in the second set as the wait for a break point continued, but Marchenko showed no sign of offering an easy win to the eighth seed.

Both players attacked the serve in the second tie-break as Raonic delivered the goods to move into a commanding position.

A larger deficit forced Marchenko to take more risks, which suited Raonic, who secured a break of serve early in the third set.

There was still no sign of weakness on the Raonic serve, and the 24-year-old, who has never progressed past the fourth round in Melbourne, served out for the win.