Croatian Ivo Karlovic will turn 39 later this month, but the big right-hander still remains one of the very best servers on the ATP World Tour. The 6'11” Karlovic used his best weapon to much success again on Wednesday, not facing a break point during his 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-6(4) win against American Ernesto Escobedo at the Ecuador Open. The seventh-seeded Karlovic struck 24 aces and won 95 per cent (53/56) of his first-serve points to move into the second round in Quito. Karlovic will next meet #NextGenATP Frenchman Corentin Moutet. [ALSO LIKE] “It was a really difficult match as you can see, with the result. With the altitude it is always difficult because the ball bounces higher... so there is...
Mirza Basic stunned No. 4 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-5, 7-6(5) at the Diema Xtra Sofia Open to reach his second quarter-final of the season on Wednesday. The No. 129, who reached the last eight at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open (l. Pella), broke serve in the 12th game of the first set to take a one-set lead and secured a crucial mini-break at 5/5 in the second set tie-break to upset the German after one hour and 41 minutes. Kohlschreiber, who has captured one tour-level title in each of the past four seasons, remains winless in 2018 while Basic awaits the winner of Thursday’s second-round match between Maximilian Marterer and No. 7 seed Joao Sousa. Germany’s Marterer continued his strong start...
Belgium’s David Goffin booked his place in his first quarter-final of the 2018 ATP World Tour season at the Open Sud de France after beating Gilles Simon 6-4, 6-2 on Wednesday. The match was dominated by the returner in the early stages, with seven breaks of serve in the opening set, before Goffin finally took advantage with timely first serves proving crucial to secure the first set. From there, Goffin grew in confidence with a much improved serving performance and continued his assault on the Tata Open Maharashtra champion’s serve with two more service breaks before closing the match out with two aces and an unreturned serve to seal his spot in the last eight. The World No. 7 awaits...
Brazilian Thiago Monteiro snuck in an upset before rain suspended play on Tuesday at the Ecuador Open in Quito.
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The 23-year-old knocked off fifth seed Horacio Zeballos of Argentina 6-4, 7-6(8), saving the only break point he faced in the one-hour and 39-minute match. Monteiro will next face either Italian lucky loser Alessandro Giannessi or Peter Polansky of Canada.
Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena beat Italy's Federico Gaio 7-6(5), 6-3 in the only other completed match of the day. Wednesday's play kicks off with seventh seed Ivo Karlovic facing Ernesto Escobedo of the U.S.A.
Russian Karen Khachanov came back from a set down against one of the toughest competitors on the ATP World Tour to advance on Tuesday at the Open Sud de France. The 21-year-old Khachanov beat Spain's David Ferrer 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4, avoiding a single break point in the decider to reach the second round in Montpellier. Both players were coming off of good runs in Auckland, before the Australian Open. Khachanov reached the quarter-finals at the ASB Classic, Ferrer the semi-finals. They both lost to Juan Martin del Potro. In fact, Khachanov's two losses this season have come against Del Potro (also second round Australian Open). [ALSO LIKE] Khachanov will next face Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis, who battled past 36-year-old Frenchman Julien Benneteau. Berankis,...
