Rice K. came from a set down to defeat Milavsky D. 6-1, 1-6, 7-6 in Vancouver, winning a decisive third-set tiebreak. Despite Milavsky firing nine aces to Rice's one, Rice was more efficient on serve, winning 68% of first-serve points and saving three of seven break points overall.
The first set was one-sided: Milavsky broke three times (at 2-0, 3-1 and 5-1) while Rice managed only one break (at 2-1). The second set flipped as Rice broke three times (at 0-2, 1-3 and 1-5) with Milavsky replying once (at 1-2). The third set featured nine breaks of serve — Rice broke at 0-1, 3-2, 4-3 and 5-6; Milavsky broke at 1-1, 3-1, 4-2, 5-5 and 6-6 — before Rice won the tiebreak 7-6.
Rice's serve held up when it mattered most: in the third set, he saved the only break point he faced, while Milavsky did not save any of his one. Rice also won 87% of second-serve return points in the deciding set, a key factor in overcoming Milavsky's ace count.