Isner, Karlovic enter quarters
Washington, July 19: US top seed John Isner and second-seeded defending champion Ivo Karlovic advanced to the quarterfinals of the ATP Hall of Fame Championships with straight-set triumphs on Wednesday at Newport, Rhode Island.
Isner, the 2011 and 2012 winner at the grasscourt event, fired 13 aces in defeating Australian qualifier Sam Groth 6-2, 6-4. The hard-serving American improved to 30 all-time against Groth, who dropped prior meetings in Davis Cup ties this year and last year, with the 61-minute triumph.
Croatia’s Karlovic, 38, defeated American Denis Kudla 6-4, 6-4 to reach the final eight.
Isner advanced to a quarter-final matchup against fellow American Dennis Novikov, a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Canadian Frank Dancevic.
Karlovic booked a quarter-final meeting with Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk, who eliminated Russia’s Konstantin Kravchuk 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Raonic, Dimitrov, Halep take wildcards Washington: World number two Simona Halep and men’s top-10 players Milos Ranoic and Grigor Dimitrov have accepted wildcard entries for the ATP and WTA Washington Open, organisers announced on Wednesday.
The US capital’s hardcourt event, which begins July 31, comes just ahead of the top US Open tune-up tournaments in Canada and Cincinnati for the US Open, which begins August 28 in New York.