Second seed Ivo Karlovic of Croatia served 23 aces as he overpowered Germany’s Dustin Brown 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championship in Newport, Rhode Island, on Friday.
Karlovic, who broke Brown in the first game of the second set before sealing victory in just over an hour, faces fourth-seeded American Jack Sock in the semi-finals.
Sock advanced when Czech Jan Hernych retired from their quarter-final after he sustained a knee injury during the second game of the match.
Photo: AP
“When a guy hits 23 aces and doesn’t let you see any second serves, it’s going to be impossible to break him,” Brown, an unorthodox player known for his touch and outrageous drop shots, told reporters after losing to the 24th-ranked Karlovic.
“You expect this going into the match, but it’s still very tough to lose a match like this,” Brown added.
The other semi-final was to be contested by American Rajeev Ram and Australia’s John-Patrick Smith, who both won their matches in the last eight on Thursday.
Bucharest Open
Friday’s results in the Bucharest Open at B.N.R. Arenas saw Sara Errani of Italy defeat Anna Tatishvili of the US 6-2, 6-3; Romania’s Monica Niculescu beat compatriot Andreea Mitu 4-6, 6-0, 6-2; Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia down Danka Kovinic of Montenegro 6-2, 6-2; and Slovenia’s Polona Hercog eliminate Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia 6-3, 6-3.
SWEDISH OPEN
Results on Friday from the Collector Swedish Open Women at the Bastad Tennis Stadium saw Johanna Larsson of Sweden defeat Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 6-3; Germany’s Mona Barthel beat Rebecca Peterson of Sweden 6-1, 7-6 (7/3); Spain’s Lara Arruabarrena down Jana Cepelova of Slovakia, who was forced to retire at 6-3, 5-2; and Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan oust Klara Koukalova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-4.
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