DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP)—Second-seeded Ivo Karlovic of Croatia advanced to the semifinals of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championship on Friday, overpowering seventh-seeded James Blake in the third set for a 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1 victory.
The 2.05-meter (6-foot-10) Karlovic served 23 aces to reach his first semifinal this year after three times losing in quarterfinals.
“I want more, but it is already a good week,” Karlovic said. “I’ve been playing well all week here. I was playing well today and was feeling confident.”
In the third set, Karlovic lost only three points in four service games. He won two service games in the final set at love—using two aces in the first game and three in the fifth.
“At times against Ivo, it doesn’t matter how well or how poorly you’re playing, he takes the racket out of your hands.” Blake said. “Today, I had to not think about it as a tennis match, which is how I often feel when playing him.”
Karlovic, the only remaining seeded player in the draw, will play defending champion Mardy Fish, after the American beat fourth-seeded Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 6-3.
Karlovic holds a 4-1 record in their previous encounters, but Fish won their most recent match in the 2007 New Haven semifinals.
“It’s a tactical match you have to play against Ivo,” said Fish, looking ahead. “You have to keep your wits. You have to make as many returns as you can and hope he misses some first serves.”
Ernests Gulbis of Latvia and Jarkko Nieminen of Finland advanced to Saturday’s other semifinal.
The 72nd-ranked Gulbis, who also reached the semifinals at Memphis last week, beat Leonardo Mayer of Argentina 7-6 (2) 6-4, saving a set point when Mayer was serving at 5-4 in the first set.
“If I would lose the first set, I would lose the match,” Gulbis said. “I really had to push myself to move. That was crucial for me to win the set, mentally.”
The 109th-ranked Nieminen upset third-seeded Benjamin Becker of Germany 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (5).
Nieminen struggled through the final set, losing his serve twice before winning the last two points of the tiebreaker.