Share

Karlovic chases ATP aces record

Kuala Lumpur - Ivo Karlovic pounded 18 aces to make a dominating start to his Malaysian Open campaign as he defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 on Wednesday and move himself to the cusp of an ATP record.

Karlovic, at 36 the oldest player in the Top 20 since 37-year-old Jimmy Connors in 1990, moved within 48 aces of fellow Croatian Goran Ivanisevic's all-time ATP record of 10,237.

Should he keep on winning in Malaysia, he should surpass the mark this week.

The third-seeded Karlovic has a maximum three more matches in Kuala Lumpur as he reached the quarter-finals after a bye.

While Karlovic was advancing, there was an upset loss for French sixth seed Jeremy Chardy, a 5-7, 6-1, 7-5 victim of Benjamin Becker as the German reached his first quarter-final of the season.

It was only the 10th ATP-level win of a poor 2015 for Becker, who was also among the last eight at the tournament last year.

Australian Nick Kyrgios, whose mother is Malaysian and who is considered a native by local fans, reached the quarters for the first time in five months thanks to a defeat of Japan's Tatsuma Ito 6-3, 6-2.

"It is definitely a special tournament, for me and for my mum. I have a lot of relatives in Malaysia and I would hate to let them all down, so there is an added pressure in that as well," Kyrgios told local media.

"This will be my second time here, so I'm already quite used to the conditions."

In the first round, last week's St Petersburg runner-up Joao Sousa of Portugal beat qualifier Michal Przysiezny 6-2, 6-2 in just over one hour and next takes on Bulgarian fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov.

German qualifier Mischa Zverev will play Spanish second seed Feliciano Lopez after defeating Rajeev Ram 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-3.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE