Kei Nishikori of Japan was set to defend his title at the US National Indoor Tennis Championships after beating Michael Russell of the US 6-3, 6-2 in the semi-finals on Saturday.
Nishikori, who won his third career ATP Tour title in Memphis last year, faces Ivo Karlovic in the final after the big-serving Croat advanced when Taiwanese No. 1 Lu Yen-hsun retired from their semi-final with a neck injury after losing the opening set 6-1.
The top-seeded Japanese player went down to an early break to the 35-year-old Russell in the first set, but broke back to level the score at 3-3 and broke again to close out the set.
Photo: EPA
Russell had upset former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt to reach only his third ATP Tour semi-final.
The 2.1m Karlovic has not been broken in 42 service games at the tournament. He is trying to capture his sixth career title and the first since Bogota last year.
Lu said he was eating breakfast on Saturday when his neck locked up on him. He received four treatments to loosen up enough to play Karlovic, but did not want to risk further injury.
“When I knew he was hurting, I just tried to put the ball in the court and I was also a little bit lucky,” Karlovic said. “I mean for him I know that it is difficult to have to stop, but injuries are part of tennis. I know. I [have] had a lot of them.”
ABN AMRO WORLD
AP, ROTTERDAM, Netherlands
Marin Cilic was due to play for his second ATP Tour title in two weeks after reaching the ABN Amro final against Tomas Berdych on Saturday.
Cilic knocked out hometown favorite Igor Sijsling 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 in the semi-finals, while third seed Berdych of the Czech Republic beat Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-3, 6-2.
Cilic won the Zagreb Indoors for a fourth time last week, and has beaten top-10 players Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Rotterdam.
Sijsling, the Dutch wild card, had raucous support from the crowd, especially after breaking Cilic twice in the first set, but he could not capitalize on the only break point he had in the second. He did not get any in the third.
The unseeded Cilic, aiming for a 12th ATP Tour title, has a losing 2-4 record against Berdych, who was playing for a ninth career title.
Berdych was more consistent than Gulbis, especially on serves, though Gulbis was often better — if unpredictable — in the rallies.
In the first set, Berdych won a 15-shot rally to set up a single break point, which he also won.
The pair exchanged words after Gulbis issued a late challenge as to whether Berdych’s return was in.
“Probably it looks on paper that it was easy, but it definitely was not,” Berdych said after improving to 4-2 against Gulbis. “I was more calm, more focused, and that was my advantage.”
COPA CLARO
AP, BUENOS AIRES
Top seed David Ferrer and No. 2 Fabio Fognini of Italy were set to contest the final of the Copa Claro in the Argentine capital.
Ferrer defeated fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, the 2011 champion, 6-4, 6-2 in the semi-finals in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
Fognini defeated Tommy Robredo of Spain 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, coming back from 6-3, 5-3 to oust the 2009 champion.
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