Raonic, Isner hoping to upset elite opponents in Aussie Open fourth round

MELBOURNE—American John Isner and Canadian Milos Raonic are hoping to upset higher-ranked opponents in the fourth round at the Australian Open.

The 30-year-old Isner will face David Ferrer, who he has lost six of seven matches to. Raonic is 0-4 against his next opponent, two-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka.

The 33-year-old Ferrer is much more experienced than Isner. The Spaniard has reached the final at the French Open, as well as the semis at both the U.S. Open and the Australian Open.

Isner has never gotten past the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam. In order to do so in Melbourne, he said he has to make sure to keep points short.

“I've got to play aggressive,” Isner said. “He's going to want to get on top of that baseline and move me around all day. He's not going to get tired. We all know that. I've got to go for my shots and try to keep the points shorter. Can't be having long, drawn-out rallies with him. I'm definitely not going to win the majority of those.”

Raonic, whose best result at a major was a semifinal appearance at Wimbledon in 2014, has won seven straight matches, including a title run in Brisbane. The 25-year-old is more confident than ever, and he believes that he has a legitimate chance to upset Wawrinka, who won the 2014 Australian Open and the 2015 French Open.

“I feel like I'm finding answers,” Raonic said. “I'm taking care of my serve. I'm creating opportunities on the return. I'm reacting much better, getting a lot more returns back in, putting more pressure on my opponents. So eventually the opportunities are coming to me. I think it's just really about keeping that cycle going forward. I know I'm going to. It's not a question of, [but when] will I create opportunities?

"I feel like I'm playing good enough tennis. I feel like I can. The question is will I make use of them?”