By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, July 17, 2015
Ivo Karlovic pounded 23 aces defeating Dustin Brown, 7-6 (3), 6-3, to reach his second straight Newport semifinal.
Photo credit: International Tennis Hall of Fame
Ivo Karlovic continues to turn back the clock with some timely serving.
The 36-year-old Karlovic cracked 23 aces defeating Dustin Brown, 7-6 (3), 6-3, to roll into his second straight Newport semifinal on the grass of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
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At an age when many of his contemporaries have moved on, Karlovic is producing one of the best seasons of his career. He is the oldest man to reach the Newport final four since Fabrice Santoro reached the 2009 semifinals at age 36.
"It was a little difficult [conditions]," Karlovic said of the breezy conditions. "Also he's unbelievable. He likes this court. It was really, really difficult, but I was able to win to today and I'm really happy about it."
In a battle of explosive servers, Karlovic earned the mini-break for a 3-1 lead in the tie break. He made it stand, slamming his 17th ace down the middle to collect the 38-minute opening set.
The 6-foot-11 Croat, who leads the ATP with 846 aces on the season, was nearly untouchable on serve in the second set. Karlovic won 15 of 16 points played on his first serve in the second set.
Karlovic, who also beat Brown en route to winning his sixth career title in Delray Beach in February, will face American Jack Sock for a trip to his second consecutive Newport final.
The fourth-seeded Sock was trailing 0-1 when opponent Jan Hernych crashed to the court suffering a left knee injury that forced him to retire.
The 36-year-old Czech qualifier, who saved a match point defeating Alejandro Falla, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (6), 7-6 (7) in the round of 16, beat Sock in their lone prior meeting in the 2013 Newport round of 16.
Hernych hit a slice backhand, shuffled back to the centre of the court and tried to push off his right fott when he crumpled to the grass court clutching the inside of his left knee in clear pain.
Hernych was able to get to his feet, limped to the sidelines and immediately applied ice to his knee. After a brief consultation with the trainer, Hernych ripped his sweat bands off and threw them to the ground in frustration, briefly covering his face with his left hand before shaking Sock's hand and hobbling off the court with his white towel draped over his head.
American men occupy two of the final four spots. Rajeev Ram, who upset top-seeded John Isner in his opener, will play Australian John-Patrick Smith in the first semifinal starting at 2 p.m. tomorrow.