Top seed Raonic struggles, ousted at Eastbourne

DPA/Eastbourne, England

Raonic, seeded 16th at Wimbledon, will likely head to the major with low on confidence after losing last week at Halle and again on the English south coast.

“It was a great match from me,” said the 54th-ranked Dodig, now 2-0 over the Canadian. “I knew he had that great serve, so I just tried to keep the ball in the court.

“I played some good tennis, I’m liking my game on grass.”

It was the opposite reaction for a discouraged Raonic, who was out-aced nine to 12 by his opponent. “I’ve got to figure out things. It’s like I’m just not executing the things I need to execute.

“Obviously the surface doesn’t make it easy. I think it’s easier for me to figure out things on hard courts per se, but I think it’s all on my shoulders.

“I’ve been playing okay. But in the last few weeks I haven’t played my best, that affects the confidence in those tight situations, and how you deal with them.”

More seeds joined Raonic on outside as Czech Radek Stepanek knocked out German number three Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-5, 6-3. Feliciano Lopez, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist, put out Argentine fourth seed Juan Monaco 6-4, 6-4.

2011 champion Andreas Seppi overcame a slow start to beat Ryan Harrison 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Fellow Italian and eighth seed Fabio Fognini will line up against Dodig after beating Slovak Martin Klizan 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-2. Australian Bernard Tomic built more grass confidence with his 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (4) win over Julien Benneteau.

“I thought I won the match, took my foot off the pedal,” said the Australian. “Before you know it, he’s down, he goes for his shots, he’s relaxed, and he breaks you and then he gets the firepower to play and from there he started playing ridiculous.

“I should have won it comfortably, but I’m lucky. Somehow I pulled it through in the end.”

In the women’s draw, an illness withdrawal from 2011 winner Marion Bartoli handed China’s second seed Li Na her trip into the last eight. Bartoli was suffering with a viral infection which got worse on Monday when she won her opening match.

Yanina Wickmayer upset 2011 Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 while number six Maria Kirilenko beat Brit Elena Baltacha 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Fifth seed Caroline Wozniacki dominated Laura Robson 6-4, 6-4.

Czech Lucie Safarova sent out Australian Samantha Stosur 7-6 (5), 6-3. US qualifier Jamie Hampton beat Taiwan’s Hsieh Su Wei 6-4, 7-6 (2) a day after knocking out top seed and last year’s Wimbledon finalist Agnieszka Radwanska.