Ivo Karlovic admits it: For a tennis player, he's old. But, as Karlovic continues to show during the 2018 ATP World Tour season, the Croatian is also still very good. Just last month, the 38-year-old achieved yet another marker for the history books. The 6'11” Karlovic struck 53 aces to beat Japan's Yuichi Sugita 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 7-5, 4-6, 12-10 in four hours and 33 minutes. With the win, Karlovic became the oldest player to compete in the Australian Open third round since Australian Ken Rosewall, aged 44, in 1978, when the draw was 64 players. Karlovic also became the oldest player in the Australian Open third round since the advent of a 128-player draw in 1982. [ALSO LIKE] Then again,...
Quito is called "The City in the Sky" for good reason: The Ecuadorian capital sits in (and often above) the clouds at 9,350 feet (2,800 meters) above sea level. A panorama of the mountainous region that's carved into the rugged Andes is breathtaking. The thin, high-altitude air can be breathtaking as well. Cerro Puntas, a protected wetland area in Quito, is home to the Paluguillo Drinking Water Treatment Plant of EPMAPS Agua de Quito, a sponsor of this week's Ecuador Open. Because of environmental pollution and contamination of the region's water supply, Cerro Puntas is vital when it comes to producing water that is pure enough for human consumption. Croatia's Ivo Karlovic and Brazil's Rogerio Dutra Silva, both entrants in...
Ivo Karlovic fired down aces – as only he can – on Wednesday to become the oldest player to reach the Australian Open third round in 40 years. Karlovic, who turns 39 next month, came through the longest match of the tournament so far with 53 aces in a 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 7-5, 4-6, 12-10 victory over Japan’s Yuichi Sugita in four hours and 33 minutes. “I‘m happy, but also very tired,” said 6’11” Karlovic, who towered over 5’9” Sugita. “I was already feeling it at the beginning of the third set, but I just focused on my serve.” The Croatian, who will now take on Italian Andreas Seppi, will be the oldest player to compete in the third round since...
Continuing our Season In Review Series, ATPWorldTour.com revisits the biggest Grand Slam comebacks of 2017: 5. Andreas Seppi d. Nick Kyrgios 1-6, 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-2, 10-8 - Australian Open 2R There seems to be a special connection between Andreas Seppi and the Australian Open. Three years ago, the Italian saved a match point to upset Lleyton Hewitt in a five-set thriller at the Australian Open. Then, in 2015, he would advance to the Round of 16 with a stunning four-set dismissal of Roger Federer - his first Top 10 win at a Grand Slam. As Seppi began to battle back from a two-set deficit against home hope Nick Kyrgios in this year's second round, another moment of magic was in...
Ivo Karlovic saved three match points in a two-hour, 13-minute battle to eliminate Guido Pella, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(10) in the first round of the European Open in Antwerp, Belgium. The 38 year old saved two break points in the second set at 3-3 to avoid going down a set and a break against the Argentine, before holding off Pella’s three match points in the third-set tie-break. Each opportunity was on Karlovic’s serve, and the Croatian capitalised on his third opportunity to advance to the second round. In other action, Sergiy Stakhovsky temporarily halted Jared Donaldson’s efforts in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan with a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over the American. The Ukrainian saved the only break point he faced,...
