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It's a testament to how well Milos Raonic is playing that even in defeat, with his opponent winning his 30th career tour title, the 20-year-old Canadian still manages to be the story.

But let's talk about something else first—Andy Roddick's incredible winner that earned him victory. It's one of the best shots I've ever seen on a championship point, the equivalent of scoring an overtime goal in soccer with a bicycle kick. If Raonic has already secured the breakthrough-player-of-the-year award, let's give Roddick the shot-of-the-year trophy right now. Watch for it on YouTube later tonight. (Update: Here it is.)

Although it wouldn't have been anywhere near as dramatic, Roddick would have preferred to end this match about about an hour earlier, with a ho-hum ace or a Raonic error long, wide or into net. Any option would have been fine. But each time it appeared that might happen, Raonic played some of his boldest tennis of the evening. After losing the first set in a tiebreak—during which he squandered two set points—???Raonic was on the brink of defeat in another extended session. On Roddick's first championship point, Raonic showed that, like his serve, his forehand can move and catch the line. On Roddick's second, it was Raonic's serve that did the work. And after failing to win his third championship point, Roddick finally cracked, at 11-11, with an unforced backhand error. With his fourth set point, Raonic took the tiebreak, 13-11. It seems that with each match Raonic plays, there's something else to like about him. Often it's been a physical trait; today, it was a mental one.

Raonic wasn't done there, though he appeared to be done not long after. Down 4-1 and serving, Raonic faced two break points—essentially championship points—at 15-40 and 30-40. It was here that his fearless play resurfaced; he saved one break point with a volley after covering nearly the entire court. It seemed to inspire Raonic, who broke Roddick in the next game and leveled the set at 4-all.

Yet another championship point would be saved before Roddick would make good on his fifth (or by my "count," his seventh). But for all that Raonic did to put Roddick in that position, the American, of course, had an equal part in the proceedings. Tonight he served well but also rallied well, particularly with the slice backhand. It was struck clean, cross-court, and forced Raonic—who refused to hit down the line—to reply with safe forehands. More often than not, Roddick won the points that went down this route. The last one he did came on the penultimate point of the match. You know what happened next.

There's always two sides to a story.

—Ed McGrogan