Milos Raonic returned to Montreal with a win—and cautious optimism.

The 28-year-old Canadian cruised past Lucas Pouille, 6-4, 6-4, avenging his Australian Open quarterfinal loss and scoring his first Montreal win since 2013 when he beat buddy Vasek Pospisil in the semifinals before bowing to Rafael Nadal in the final.

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Raonic, who missed the entire clay-court season due to back and right knee issues, said he's pain-free now and has learned to modify his expectations after a slew of injuries.

"I've tried not to expect too much," Raonic said. "I think especially with sort of the history I've had this year, it's led to a lot of disappointment. I've just sort of taken things match by match.

"I'm happy with the way I felt on court today. I'm happy with how I feel right now after the match. Hopefully I can continue with those good kind of feelings."

The 19th-ranked Raonic will play a Canadian compatriot—either Felix Auger-Aliassime or wild card Vasek Pospisil—in round two.

"I think when I started out on tour, it was something obviously more rare," Raonic said of all-Canadian clashes. "Me and Vasek played here in the semis. Now with six of us on tour, now especially this week, six of us being in the main draw, it was bound to happen to some extent. I'm sure the odds are much higher than they have been in the past.

"It is what it is. Obviously I wish as players, for everybody, everybody could be more evenly spread out. They play first round, then I await the winner of that match. That's just how it plays out sometimes. It's unfortunate it played out that way at home."

Photo credit: @RogersCup