Milos Raonic saves it! Sheer brutal forehand power and finally Novak Djokovic cannot keep the ball in play, floating over the back of the baseline.

It is 6-6, Djokovic to serve.

Drama!

Milos Raonic snips the back of a line with a raking forehand to steal back the mini-break on video review. 5-4 Djokovic but with two Raonic serves to come. 

Raonic with a slam-dunk smash for 5-5.

But Djokovic hits a teasing lob...it lands! 6-5 and set point on the Djokovic serve.

Milos Raonic draws first blood as he moves a mini-break up at 1-3 up.

Novak Djokovic limits the damage with a good backhand punch against the grain. 2-3.

Balls back down to Raonic.

A bad case of volleying jitters, dollying straight back to the feet of Djokovic, and the Serb makes him pay. 3-3 and the mini-break redeemed.

And Djokovic moves a mini-break up! 4-3. Is Raonic leaking belief?

Image source, Getty Images

Novak Djokovic wins the opening point on serve, Milos Raonic jams up the Serb with a serve into the body and then goes wide on the next point to go 2-1 up without having to play a second stroke in either of the next two rallies.

Milos Raonic slugs his way to 30-0, gets into a bit of bother as he over-cooks a volley to allow Novak Djokovic back to 30-30, and then falls back on an old friend.

Two rooster-booster serves and we are into a tie-break. And it is one that, going on the first set, you might fancy Raonic to win.

Image source, Reuters

Milos Raonic asking all the questions.

He goes for a death-or-glory cross-court forehand at 15-30 up and misses by a flea's whisker.

Novak Djokovic is finding plenty of these rallies are being taken out of his hands, living and dying on the strings of the Canadian.

The Serb plays it canny for the final two points though, channeling the ball down the centre of the court and hitting with depth to deny Raonic the platform and angle to hit winners.

Leon Smith
Great Britain Davis Cup captain on Radio 5 live sports extra

Raonic not only has power on the serve but he gets good movement, which makes it so hard to return the ball.

Image source, Reuters

Milos Raonic smites down a 141-mph serve to register his fifth ace of the match so far.

A sixth follows for 40-15. And the game is wrapped up on the next point.

Milos Raonic is landing with 65% of his first serves and winning 88% of points when he does. 

There is not a lot of wriggle room in between those statistics for Novak Djokovic.

A perfectly constructed point from Milos Raonic as he pummels Novak Djokovic from pillar to post at 30-15 down and then comes stalking into the net looking for the kill.

But Djokovic doesn't just get the ball back though, he delivers it first class.

A scraping backhand stays just low enough over the net to make the volley too hard for Raonic.

The Canadian duffs into the net and he did not much wrong at all.

Image source, Getty Images

Milos Raonic comes under the cosh at 0-30 down. 

He responds perfectly with a brace of big serves and then a splattered inside-out forehand to turn the tables round to 40-30.

Another exocet down the T and, bing, the game is done and Djokovic's chance is gone.

Leon Smith
Great Britain Davis Cup captain on Radio 5 live sports extra

Djokovic can defend with such great flexibility, you think he has no chance of retrieving the ball but then he digs them up. Those sort of shots give him such confidence.

Novak Djokovic claps hand to string and offers a thumbs up to the other end as Milos Raonic leans into a backhand down the line and foxes his man in the opening point.

Djokovic is a professor in defence against the dark arts of power though. A magnificent stretching forehand get buys him a pass back into a rally on the next point and he whisks the game away.

Image source, PA

Milos Raonic gives Novak Djokovic a point head-start in the game as he sprays a forehand wide.

But like the mounties back home in Canada, Raonic always (well, most of the time) gets his man.

The world number three slots away a couple of whopping aces as he tracks down his prey.

Milos Raonic's forehand - as pure as mountain spring water bottled by blushing brides under a supermoon - lands out of the centre of the strings to bring up 15-15.

Novak Djokovic's work is less eye-catching but more effective though, hustling and bustling with some rib-tickling serves to win the next three points.

Image source, Reuters

Milos Raonic clunks down some more concussion-inducing serves and holds to 15.

Leon Smith
Great Britain Davis Cup captain on Radio 5 live sports extra

Raonic has really long levers which enables him to generate a lot of pace on his shots, plus he has this monster serve, which is such a huge weapon and troubles the very best.

Image source, Reuters

Novak Djokovic grinds his way through that little bit of awkwardness. But Milos Raonic has had the best of the opening exchanges as the two players head for the first changeover.

Get your slippers on, this match is not going anywhere fast. It is building into an intriguing slug-fest.

Now then. Milos Raonic with 0-30 and Novak Djokovic squanders his first attempt off the baseline oche.

A peach of a second serve out wide though is too good and Raonic can only get frame to the ball.

A crushing Raonic return, thumped down the line, brings up two break points.

Djokovic faces them both down as his percentage tennis milks the Canadian for mistakes.

Image source, Reuters

Novak Djokovic cracks a second-serve return into the top of the net as he goes full-bore at 15-15.

The world number two will want to call mulligans on that one.

From 30-15, with his serving arm loose and free of scoreboard pressure, Milos Raonic bashes down two brutes to canter over the finishline.

Image source, Reuters

Milos Raonic is immediately up and after Novak Djokovic.

Big socking forehand power, not trying too much, but keeping the Serb on the run, gives him break point at 30-40.

Djokovic whips it straight off the table with a cleaving ace.

And sees his way safe from deuce.

With all due cliches, this is different gravy from the Monfils v Thiem match-up earlier today. High-quality hitting straight from the off.