Kyrgios, Lopez, Ferrer Reach KL Semis
Seventh seed Nick Kyrgios won the clutch points as he edged third seed Ivo Karlovic 7-6(4), 7-6(2) on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur.
Both players won 75 per cent of their service points and saved the three break points they created between them, but it was Kyrgios who won the decisive points in the tie-breaks to seal victory in 85 minutes.
“It feels really good to be in the semi-finals,” said Kyrgios. “I knew today was going to be tough. I thought he served really well, but I thought I also served really well and looked after my serve. It was a fun match as well; it was really good. I thought I stayed composed and today was a really good performance.”
Thirteen aces from Karlovic sees him close the gap to 35 on Goran Ivanisevic’s all-time record of 10,237 (stats kept since 1991). The 36-year-old Croat was contesting his ninth ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season and is the oldest player in the Top 20 since 37-year-old Jimmy Connors in February 1990.
The 20-year-old Kyrgios, whose mother is Malaysian, is bidding to reach his second final of the season after finishing runner-up to Richard Gasquet in his first ATP World Tour final in Estoril in April.
The Australian goes on to face second seed Feliciano Lopez, who battled past eighth seed Vasek Pospisil 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-2 in two hours. The Spaniard won 73 per cent of his service points and broke Pospisil four times as he beat the Canadian for the second time.
“I think I played a great match,” said Lopez. “I think I improved my game from my first match yesterday. Even though I lost the first set, I was getting better and better as the match went on. I’m very happy.”
The 34-year-old Lopez is looking to reach his second ATP World Tour final of the year (l. to Estrella Burgos in Quito) and has a 1-0 lead over Kyrgios in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, beating the Canberra native in Rome earlier this year.
“Against Nick it’s going to be tough,” said Lopez. “He is an aggressive player. I have to be aware of that and try to be aggressive on the court and put some pressure on him. Hopefully I will have my chances. It’s an exciting match to play against one of the young guns on the tour.”
Top seed David Ferrer reached the semi-finals of this ATP World Tour 250 hard court tournament for the third time as he defeated Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 6-4 in 70 minutes. The Spaniard broke serve once in each set and won 71 per cent of his service points to notch his 42nd win of the season.
Currently eighth in the Emirates ATP Race To London, Ferrer is looking to step up his bid to claim one of the four remaining places at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The 33-year-old Ferrer is hoping to make his seventh appearance at the season finale, to be held at The O2 in London from 15-22 November.
Ferrer is attempting to win his fourth ATP World Tour title of the season this week, adding to victories in Doha, Rio de Janeiro and Acapulco, and goes on to face Benjamin Becker in the semi-finals.
“He’s had a very good week, winning against two of the top players — Chardy and Dimitrov,” said Ferrer of his semi-final opponent. “It’s going to be tough for sure. I will have to play consistent.”
The 34-year-old Becker is having his best week of the season, having come into Kuala Lumpur only having won back-to-back matches twice in 2015. He is now through to the semi-finals after upsetting fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 7-6(3).