Canadian Milos Raonic plays a backhand against Sumit Nagal of India in their first round match during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 7, 2024 in Indian Wells, Calif.Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Canada’s Milos Raonic pulled out a 6-3, 6-3 first-round win over India’s Sumit Nagal on Thursday at the BNP Paribas Open.
The Thornhill, Ont., native fired nine aces and won 76.5 per cent of his first-serve points.
Raonic, 33, also broke on three of his 12 opportunities in the one-hour 28-minute match.
The match was interrupted by a two-plus hour rain delay early in the second set.
The weather conditions also pushed Canadian Denis Shapovalov’s first-round match against Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands to Friday.
Raonic was initially supposed to face 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal of Spain, but the 37-year-old withdrew from the tournament Wednesday.