Top seed Andy Murray continued his unbeaten streak against John Isner on Friday at the Erste Bank Open 500, improving his FedEx ATP Head2Head record over the big server to 7-0 with a convincing 6-1 6-3 quarter-final win.
Next up for the Brit in the semi-finals is fifth seed David Ferrer, a 6-3 3-6 7-5 winner over Viktor Troicki in a marathon match. Murray leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry over Ferrer 14-6.
In a situation Isner doesn’t often find himself in, Murray accumulated more break points chances than the American (9 to 3) and put Isner on the defensive in many of his service games. Murray saved all three break point chances against him in the second set to prevail in one hour and 14 minutes.
Ferrer rallied from a break down in the deciding set to prevail over Troicki in two hours and 30 minutes. The Spaniard saved a match point while serving at 3-5 in the decider, then swept the next four games to advance.
Ferrer is attempting to extend a streak which saw him reach at least one ATP World Tour final in each of the past 11 years.
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Ivo Karlovic fired down 29 aces and saved one match point to beat #NextGen star Karen Khachanov 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 6-3 for a place in the semi-finals. Karlovic saved a match point at 5-6, Advantage, in the second set and will next face sixth seed and 2011 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who took out Albert Ramos-Violas, 6-2, 7-6(5).
The 37-year-old Croatian has now struck an ATP World Tour-best 1,081 aces this year, ahead of John Isner (1,046). He is one of the nominees for the Comeback Player of the Year Award in the 2016 ATP World Tour Awards Presented by Moët & Chandon.
Tsonga hit 10 aces and saved five of six break points faced to earn his fifth win in as many FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings against the Spanish left-hander. Tsonga, who is winless in two previous tour-level clashes with the Croatian, will be vying for his first final appearance of the year.
Doubles: Bryans Reach Milestone
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Pablo Cuevas and Viktor Troicki 6-4, 4-6, 10-7 to earn their 1,000th team win and move into the Vienna semi-finals, where they will face Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo.
Barclays ATP World Tour Finals hopefuls Oliver Marach and Fabrice Martin are the first team to reach the final after beating top seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 1-6, 6-3, 11-9. They are No. 11 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London.