Second-seeded Ivo Karlovic of Croatia and Samuel Groth of Australia advanced to the semi-finals of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships on Thursday.
The 153rd-ranked Groth defeated defending champion Nicolas Mahut of France 6-3, 6-4, while Karlovic edged Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (7/3), 7-5. The pair are to meet today after inductions for this year’s class into the International Hall of Fame, which is highlighted this year by Lindsay Davenport in the “recent player” category.
The other quarter-final matches were scheduled for yesterday.
Groth broke in a long third game of the second set that lasted 18 points — when Mahut double-faulted — to take control.
After losing three match points in the ninth game, he closed it out with an overhead smash.
In the other match, the 2.10m Karlovic had nine aces and won 39 of his 46 first-serve points to gain his third semi-final this season.
“It was real difficult,” he said. “He was playing real good and keeping the ball low, which I don’t like, and it was real hot today. I’m real happy that it went two sets.”
Karlovic held at love, collecting one ace, to go up 6-5 in the second set. Sela then double-faulted on the seventh point of the next game, setting up match point. On the second serve, Karlovic hit a deep forehand return that Sela backhanded into the top of the net.
The fourth-seeded Mahut made his ninth appearance on Newport’s grass courts, the most of any player in the field. He was denied his 50th career victory on grass.
Mahut, who collected the most grass-court victories on the tour last year with 12, entered the week ranked 59th. He had won seven straight matches at Newport.
MERCEDES CUP
AP, STUTTGART, Germany
Fabio Fognini opened the defense of his Mercedes Cup title by defeating Andrey Golubev 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the quarter-finals on Thursday.
Fognini saved both break points he faced and broke the world No. 61 Kazakh player once in each set.
The top-seeded Italian is next to face the seventh-seeded Santiago Giraldo of Colombia, who defeated qualifier Philipp Davydenko of Russia 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3.
No. 2 seed Mikhail Youzhny eased past Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer 6-1, 6-1. The Russian, who won the tournament in 2002, is next to play the eighth-seeded Argentine Federico Delbonis, who defeated Germany’s Benjamin Becker 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-4.
The third-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain beat Louk Sorensen of Ireland 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 for a quarter-final against compatriot Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. The No. 6 seed earlier defeated Swiss qualifier Yann Marti 7-6 (15/13), 7-5.
Another Spaniard, the fourth-seeded Feliciano Lopez, defeated countryman Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-3 and is to play Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic in the last eight.
Home favorite Philipp Kohlschreiber will not be there. The German defeated compatriot Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 6-3 in their rain-postponed first-round match, but later lost 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) to Rosol in the second round.
SWEDISH OPEN
AP, BASTAD, Sweden
Top seed David Ferrer led a trio of Spaniards into the Swedish Open quarter-finals by defeating Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-4, 6-0 on Thursday.
Ferrer, who received a first-round bye, is bidding to win his third Bastad title following wins in 2007 and 2012.
He is next to meet defending champion Carlos Berlocq of Argentina, who defeated qualifier Radu Albot of Moldova 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.
Third-seeded Fernando Verdasco, the runner-up in Bastad last year, ousted Spanish countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 7-5.
Verdasco is to face another countryman, eighth-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta, in the last eight. Carreno Busta beat Paolo Lorenzi of Italy 6-2, 6-2.
The other quarters feature Joao Sousa against Dusan Lajovic and Pablo Cuevas against Renzo Olivo.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
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