Second seed Ivo Karlovic got his title defence off to a strong start on Wednesday at the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open as he defeated Denis Kudla 6-4, 6-4 in the second round in Newport.

The Croatian was playing his first match in almost two weeks, since a first-round loss to Aljaz Bedene at Wimbledon, and is looking for a return to winning ways at this ATP World Tour 250 grass-court tournament, where he has made the final the past three years.

After finishing runner-up to Lleyton Hewitt and Rajeev Ram in third-set tie-breaks in 2014-15, Karlovic made it third time lucky last year as he edged Gilles Muller in a decisive third-set tie-break in the final.

The 38-year-old Karlovic notched his 15^th win in Newport as he fired 16 aces and broke Kudla three times. He levelled their FedEx ATP Head2Head series at 2-2 as he set a quarter-final clash with German Peter Gojowczyk, who came back to defeat Konstantin Kravchuk 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Another German, Tobias Kamke, secured his place in the quarter-finals by ousting third-seeded Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 7-6(5), 7-5. Kamke reached the Newport semi-finals on his one previous tournament appearance in 2011. 

Top seed and home favourite John Isner cruised through his opening match at the grass-court tournament, kicking off his bid to reclaim the Newport title with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Australian qualifier Sam Groth in 61 minutes. Isner fired 13 aces and dropped a total of nine points on serve as he improved to a 3-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Groth.

Isner won back-to-back Newport titles in 2012 (d. O. Rochus) and ’13 (d. Hewitt). He awaits the winner between American Dennis Novikov and Canadian Frank Dancevic in the quarter-finals.

Fourth seed Pierre-Hugues Herbert saved 11 of 15 break points faced on serve while converting all four of his opportunities in a hard-fought 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 win over Spain’s Adrian Menendez-Maceiras. The Frenchman is making his Newport debut this week. 

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Andrey Kuznetsov recorded his third win in four meetings over Pablo Carreno Busta on Wednesday, capitalising on the Spaniard’s lack of match sharpness, at the SkiStar Swedish Open.

World No. 88 Kuznetsov fought hard from a set and 3-5 deficit to beat the top seed 4-6, 7-6(5), 3-0 in front of Swedish greats, who have come to the beach resort in celebration of the ATP World Tour 250 tournament’s 70th anniversary.

Carreno Busta, who came within two points of victory when he served for his 28th match win of the year at 5-3 in the second set, was attempting to bounce back after a left abdominal muscle fracture had kept him off the grass-court swing. The World No. 18 retired due to an abdominal strain after two hours and nine minutes of play.

In the quarter-finals on Friday, Kuznetsov will challenge seventh seed Diego Schwartzman, who reached his fifth clay-court quarter-final of the year when he recorded his 15th match win on red dirt over fellow Argentine Renzo Olivo 6-4, 6-1 in 84 minutes.

Third seed and 2014 champion Pablo Cuevas takes on Henri Laaksonen later today, while eighth seed and 2007, 2012 titlist David Ferrer meets Dustin Brown.

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Zimonjic Closes In On Milestone

Nenad Zimonjic, 41, is now one match win away from becoming the 10th player in ATP World Tour history to record 700 doubles victories. The Serbian partnered David Marrero, as second seeds this week, to a 6-7(2), 7-5, 10-3 first-round victory over Andre Begemann and Philipp Oswald in one hour and 40 minutes. They will next play Swedish brothers Elias Ymer and Mikael Ymer.

As they battle to secure their place in Milan at the end of the year, the #NextGenATP stars have been lighting it up on the ATP World Tour and ATP Challenger Tour with an array of hot shots.

ATPWorldTour.com has chosen the best five and now it’s up to you, the fans, to decide which is the best hot shot from a #NextGenATP player in the second quarter of the season.

Click through to watch the Top 5 and cast your vote!

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Stefanos Tsitsipas is soaring towards the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings in 2017 and continues his quest for a maiden Challenger title this week at The Hague Open in Scheveningen, Netherlands. Coming off his first main draw appearance at Wimbledon, having emerged from qualifying, the Greek #NextGenATP star is up to a career-high World No. 167 and is poised to continue his ascent towards the Top 100 in Scheveningen. Tsitsipas revealed a day in the life on the ATP Challenger Tour in the Dutch coastal town.

Good morning! Nice to have a day off today to rest and recharge for a big second round match on Wednesday. I love it here in Holland and it’s my second year in a row playing in Scheveningen. Looking forward to a great week.

Time for breakfast. Some fruit, eggs and orange juice to get my day started. Most important meal of the day.

Before I go to the practice courts, I get in a good workout in the gym. Stretching and a little yoga helps me prepare for the day and is very important to prevent injuries. Love the view from the window!

Got in a good practice with my team. Nothing too intense. I want to be fresh for my match against Jozef Kovalik on Wednesday and don’t want to burn out. The courts here in Scheveningen are great and they do a good job of maintaining them for the players.

Practice is over and now I can relax for the rest of the day. I’m here with my family and having lunch with my sister. Black angus burger with a salad. It’s great to travel with my family because it feels like home wherever I am. It’s not easy to be away from home all year, so these moments help a lot.

Finishing my day off at the beach. The tournament is a five-minute walk to the beach and it’s great to rest and unwind here. They have a boardwalk and nice restaurants and cafes too. I love being near the ocean. It’s very peaceful.

It’s not just on the court that Roger Federer is making waves. The Swiss superstar has been named in Sports Illustrated’s ‘Fashionable 50’ once again, joining the likes of Serena Williams, Tom Brady, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lewis Hamilton and Dwyane Wade.

Visit SI’s Fashionable 50 List

SI wrote: “A 19-time Grand Slam champion, 35-year-old Federer keeps getting better with age. His timeless style extends to his looks on and off the court, but he really excels in classic pieces, such as blazers and slim suits. Lately, he’s been taking risks with these staples, adding in different fabrics, textures and designs, including a Gucci tuxedo with an embroidered crystal king cobra at the 2017 Met Gala.”

A panel consisting of Sports Illustrated editors, sports and fashion experts came together to select the world’s most stylish athletes, taking into consideration such factors as their attire, endorsements, designer collaborations and social media presence.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook came in at No. 1 on the list, with last year’s winner Victor Cruz. Williams, Federer – at No. 4 – and LeBron James rounding out the Top 5.

Last year, Federer was named as the ‘Most Stylish Man’ in 2016 by GQ Magazine, beating out Thor actor Tom Hiddleston.

Federer won his second Grand Slam title of 2017, and his 19th Grand Slam championship crown on Sunday with victory over Marin Cilic for a record eighth Wimbledon crown.

Two-time champion David Ferrer successfully transitioned from grass to clay on Tuesday, beating Argentine qualifier Federico Delbonis 6-3, 6-4 to move into the second round at the SkiStar Swedish Open in Bastad.

The eighth-seeded Ferrer, who won the title in 2010 and 2012, is making his 10^th appearance in Bastad and improved to 22-7 at the clay-court event. The 35 year old will next meet German Dustin Brown, who defeated Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci 6-4, 6-3.

Two-time finalist (2013, 2016) Fernando Verdasco saved four of five break points to outlast #NextGenATP Swede Elias Ymer 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours. “I could have been more aggressive but I really felt I played with all my heart,” Ymer said. “I had a lot of energy going into the third set and that is a great feeling, when you know you can play every point with a great mindset and intensity.” 

Verdasco is also making his 10^th appearance at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament and will next face Argentine Facundo Bagnis, who put an end to Tommy Haas’ last campaign in Bastad, firing eight aces to win 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 in two hours and 28 minutes.

Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov celebrated his 200^th match win by saving both break points to beat Leonardo Mayer 6-3, 6-2. The 28 year old, who reached a career-high No. 13 Emirates ATP Ranking in 2012, has won three ATP World Tour singles titles. Earlier this year, he defeated World No. 5 Kei Nishikori in the Argentina Open final. 

Top seed Pablo Carreno Busta will face Andrey Kuznetsov in his opening match after the Russian defeated Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-4 in the first round. 

Seventh seed Diego Schwartzman sped into the second round with a 61-minute win over Maximilian Marterer, 6-1, 6-3. Schwartzman’s fellow Argentine Renzo Olivo will be his next opponent after advancing with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Paul-Henri Mathieu.

French qualifier Kenny De Schepper won 86 per cent of his first-serve points to upset his seventh-seeded countryman Benoit Paire 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 on Tuesday at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag.

The 30-year-old De Schepper will next play Italian Allessandro Giannessi, who beat Aussie wild card Marc Polmans 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4.

#NextGenATP Russian Andrey Rublev took advantage of his good fortune to beat Argentine Carlos Berlocq 6-2, 6-4. Rublev, No. 74 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, made the main draw as a lucky loser when sixth seed Borna Coric withdrew because of neck pain.

“I’m really happy that I won today because I know that to beat Carlos you have to play really aggressiave, you have to really give everything on court because he’s a really great player and he fights till the end, no matter what the score is,” Rublev said.

The 19-year-old Rublev will next meet Slovakia’s Andrej Martin, who beat Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin 6-3, 6-2.

Eighth seed Jiri Vesely erased the only break point he faced to beat Slovakian Norbert Gombos 6-4, 6-0. Birthday boy Aljaz Bedene, who turned 28, also advanced, knocking out two-time Umag champion Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and nine minutes.

#NextGenATP Aussie Akira Santillan made it look easy. Going for his first ATP World Tour win, the 20-year-old right-hander dismissed #NextGenATP American Michael Mmoh 6-1, 6-2 on Tuesday at the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open in Newport.

6 Things To Know About Santillan

Santillan won 77 per cent of his first-serve points and broke the 19-year-old Mmoh five times to advance in 53 minutes. The Brisbane resident, fresh off his first ATP Challenger Tour title on Sunday in Winnetka, had been 0-4 in ATP World Tour matches. He will face American Bjorn Fratangelo in the second round.

Expect a lot of aces when Aussie Sam Groth meets top seed John Isner in the second round. Groth set-up the clash by saving a match point and beating qualifier Austin Krajicek of the U.S. 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 6-3. The 6’4” Groth was down 30/40, 5-6 in the second set.

“I snuck a volley over the net there. Quite often in Newport, it’s a bit throwback grass court, so quite often making that first volley is enough, and thankfully on that point it was,” said Groth, who finished with 23 aces.

Sixth seed Lukas Lacko of Slovakia overcame #NextGenATP Reilly Opelka of the U.S. 7-6(7), 6-4. He will next meet Aussie qualifier Matthew Ebden, who needed 65 minutes to prevail against American wild card Rajeev Ram 6-1, 6-4.

After the match, the 33-year-old Ram said the contest was likely his final singles match. Ram’s two ATP World Tour singles titles came at Newport (2009, 2015).

“I’ve played this tournament every year of my career since 2004. There’s no better way to cap it off, if it is my last singles match, to play here. Unfortunately it didn’t go my way but that’s besides the point. I’ve had so many great memories here over the years,” Ram said.

Konstantin Kravchuk picked up his first grass-court win, 6-4, 6-4, against fifth seed Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic. The Russian will next face German Peter Gojowczyk.