Philipp Kohlschreiber is one set away from reaching yet another ATP World Tour final in Germany. The No. 7 seed leads wild card Juan Martin del Potro in their semi-final at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart, 6-3, 2-2.

Winning 88 per cent of points when he got his first serve in, Kohlschreiber held serve comfortably throughout the set and put consistent pressure on del Potro with his return. The Argentine hadn’t dropped serve all tournament, but lost his serve early in the opening set and saw Kohlschreiber break again at 5-3 to take the opening set.

The players traded service holds in the second set up to 2-2, when the match was suspended due to rain with Kohlschreiber serving at 15/15.

Kohlschreiber is looking to move into the third grass-court final of his career and his first since 2011. Five of his seven career ATP World Tour titles have come in Germany, as well as 10 of his 15 career ATP World Tour finals.

Del Potro aims to reach his first ATP World Tour final since winning in Auckland in January 2014. A win over Kohlschreiber would also put him into the first grass-court final of his career.

The winner of this match will play No. 3 seed Dominic Thiem in Sunday’s final.

Mate Pavic and Michael Venus won their fourth tour-level title of the season on Saturday at the Ricoh Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. The Croat and Kiwi beat the first-time team of Dominic Inglot and Raven Klaasen 3-6, 6-3 11-9 to capture their fourth title of the season, which leads the ATP World Tour. Pavic/Venus also won titles in Auckland, Montpellier and Marseille earlier this year.

After losing the first set, Pavic/Venus gained their second break of the second set at 4-3 and evened the match the next game. Inglot/Klaasen led 7/5 in the match tie-break, but Pavic/Venus came back to lead 9/7. The Brit and South African, though, made it interesting and levelled the tie-break at 9/9. But Pavic/Venus won the next two points to earn their fifth career tour-level final together and their first on grass.

The champions will receive 250 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and split €30,620. Inglot/Klaasen will receive 150 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and split €16,100.

Stuttgart Doubles Final Set

The doubles final at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart is set. New Zealanders Marcus Daniell and Artem Sitak knocked off No. 2 seeds Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau 6-3, 7-6(4) to advance to their first final of the season. Daniell/Sitak, who secured their first team title at Montpellier last year, won 75 per cent of their first-serve points in the win. They will face Oliver Marach and Fabrice Martin in the final on Sunday.

Gilles Muller prevailed in a battle of big-serving veterans to reach his first tour-level final in four years on Saturday in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. He will next face defending champion Nicolas Mahut for the first time at tour-level.

The crafty left-hander kept up his nearly perfect serving during his semi-final match against the 6’11” Croatian Ivo Karlovic. Muller nailed 22 aces, including four straight at 5-6 in the second set. The Luxembourg native also won 96 per cent of his first-serve points (49/51) to win 7-6(5), 7-6(4) and move into the Ricoh Open final.

“I’m happy I’m in a final,” Muller said. “It was a very tough match.”

Neither Muller or Karlovic saw a break point on Saturday as both players’ serve-and-volley games dominated play. Karlovic hit 21 aces and won almost 90 per cent of his first-serve points (42/47).

But it was Muller who came through in the match’s biggest moments. Karlovic double faulted at 1/1 in the first-set tie-break, his fourth of the first set, giving Muller a mini-break. Muller held the next two points to go up 4-1 and later won the first set tie-break with a backhand volley into the open court.

In the second set tie-break, Karlovic netted a backhand volley at 1/2 to give Muller another mini-break. Muller, No. 44 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, needed nothing more, winning the second set on another backhand volley.

“The most important points were in the tie-break,” Muller said, “and I didn’t lose one point on serve in the tie-breaks.”

Mahut saw off American Sam Querrey 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4. The two-time champion (2013 & 2015) survived 19 aces from Querrey and scored the only two breaks of the match to prevail in just under two hours. The French serve-and-volleyer did not face a break point in the final two sets and improved to 2-0 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry against Querrey (2015 US Open).

“On grass, you just need to play one point at a time,” Mahut said. “I had the chance to break him late in the second set. At one set-all, anything can happen.

“It’s tough to explain how I feel at this tournament. Every time I come here, either I win or I end up losing to the winner. I love the court and the atmosphere. In the final, it’s better to win than to lose, but I’m just happy to be in it and will try my best tomorrow.”

Founded in 1881, the Surbiton Racket & Fitness Club’s rich history permeates throughout this week’s ATP Challenger Tour event here, providing a genteel and traditional setting that the players overwhelmingly appreciate.

Located 15 minutes from central London, the club has become a popular attraction with more than 1,500 members. The members can enjoy amenities including 20 tennis courts (11 grass, three clay and six hard, two of which are covered for indoor play), a gym and a bar/lounge area, or simply congregate in the club’s main pavilion that was built in 1900.

They can also take in world-class tennis at this week’s $50,000 event. Some of the members have even offered to donate their time to ensure the tournament runs smoothly.

“We have around 80-100 volunteers do jobs at the event, including stewarding, driving and supporting the tournament in all aspects,” said Roy Staniland, director of the Surbiton Racket & Fitness Club for the past 30 years. “Some put up players in their own houses and really embrace the event. The members are very proud that their club is hosting such a prestigious tournament.”

The club first held its ATP Challenger Tour event in 1998 and ran it for 11 consecutive years, with past champions including Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Mardy Fish. After a seven-year absence, it returned to the calendar this year and established itself as one of the toughest $50,000 events this season. Five players in the draw are ranked inside the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, including top seed and local favourite Daniel Evans.

“It’s good to be playing at home and being around the other British boys,” said Evans. “The club has a traditional English feel to it and it’s nice that there’s a lot of people here watching.”

Far more planning was devoted to organising the tournament this year than when it first launched. Preparations began 10 to 11 months away from when the first ball was hit and two weeks were devoted to building the venue out to accommodate spectators, compared to the three-day build in the tournament’s first year.

“Since the London Olympics, there are a lot more sporting events taking place,” explained Staniland. “We need to make sure we’ve got the right equipment, marquees and stands well ahead of time to ensure we have a good fan experience. I’ve seen a lot of changes at the club and a major upgrade of the facilities.”

With Surbiton back as an ATP Challenger Tour special for the foreseeable future, ATP Vice President of Player Relations and former doubles player Ross Hutchins said the hope is to continue drawing more fans each year while continuing to host a quality field.

“Growing up as a British tennis player, the summer grass court season has such prominence in the tennis calendar,” said Hutchins. “Being in London always has and still attracts such strong players. The feel of the club is very unique and the fans are close to the action. And for the players, the traditional feel of the club makes them feel like they are part of the history of tennis.”

Gilles Muller fired 17 aces en route to a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) upset of top seed David Ferrer at the Ricoh Open on Friday. The powerful left-hander saved four of five break points and secured victory on his third match point. He will face another big server, Ivo Karlovic, in the semi-finals.

“I’ve lost a few very close matches this year, so it feels good to win like that,” Muller said. “David is a great returner, so that pushed me to serve very close to the lines and to make it too good. He forced me to miss a lot of first serves. Today was a very up-and-down match, so if I want to improve, I have to stay calm and focus on what I can do.”

After dropping the opening set, Muller scored his lone service break of the match on the final point of the second set. The Luxembourg native then saved three break points in the final set to secure his first win against Ferrer, the 2008 and 2012 ‘s-Hertogenbosch champion. The pair’s lone previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting came at the 2004 Australian Open.

The 33-year-old Muller and Karlovic, 37, have never faced each other at tour-level. However, last year’s semi-finalist has a definite idea of how his opponent will play, especially on a fast grass court.

“I expect him to serve some aces. He’s probably the best server out there. I’ll have to do my best to put the ball in the court on my returns,” added Muller.

True to form, Karlovic struck 22 aces in defeating Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-4. The Croatian only dropped three points on his first serve and was not broken in the 62-minute encounter.

Fifth seed Sam Querrey ended the run of 18-year-old Stefan Kozlov with a 6-3, 6-0 semi-final victory. Querrey did not drop serve and broken his countryman four times in the 55-minute match. Kozlov was making his first quarter-final appearance at an ATP World Tour event.