By Erik Gudris | Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Big serving Ivo Karlovic not only delighted local fans in Zagreb, Croatia with a first round win but also by tying an ATP ace record.
Photo Credit: AP
Croatia's own Ivo Karlovic is known for his big serve. He used it Tuesday to not only win his opening round match at the PBZ Zagreb Indoors but also to tie an ATP record.
Karlovic dropped only one point on his serve throughout the entire first set against Daniel Brands of Germany. But it was the German who managed to win the set 7-6(4).
Undeterred, Karlovic put on a tremendous serving display with multiple aces in each game. Karlovic claimed the second set 7-5. Though neither man faced a break point in the final set, Karlovic easily led Brands in the total ace count.
Late in the set, that fact prompted this funny message on Twitter from fellow Croat and defending champion Marin Cilic.
Karlovic used his big serve and ability to hang tough in the baseline rallies to eventually secure a 6-7(4), 7-5, 7-6(3) win.
By striking 44 aces in total, Karlovic tied Mark Philippoussis and his all-time record of 44 aces hit in a best two out of three set ATP match. Philippoussis achieved that feat back in 1995 in Kuala Lumpur.
"If I knew I had chance to break the record I would have served double fault at 6-3 in the tie-breaker", Karlovic said later at his press conference per the event's website.
Karlovic is no stranger to setting ace records. He hit 55 aces in a five set loss to Lleyton Hewitt at Roland Garros in 2009 and later struck 78 aces during a five set defeat to Radek Stepanek in the same year.
Karlovic will next face No. 4 and fellow countryman Ivan Dodig in the next round.