By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, January 17, 2019
Kei Nishikori reeled off the final four points withstanding 59 aces from an imposing Ivo Karlovic in a 6-3, 7-6 (6), 5-7, 5-7, 7-6 (10-7), triumph to reach the Australian Open third round.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Closure was a couple of swings away as an imposing Ivo Karlovic stepped up to serve at 7-6 in a frenetic fifth-set super tie break.
Facing Karlovic's flame-thrower serve in a decisive breaker sounds as appealing as arm wrestling the Incredible Hulk.
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In a stunning reversal, Kei Nishikori defused menacing serves with magnetic returns.
Facing blurring serves on the rise, Nishikori reeled off the final four points in succession toppling the towering Karlovic, 6-3, 7-6 (6), 5-7, 5-7, 7-6 (10-7), in an electric Australian Open second-round escape act.
The 5'10" Japanese withstood 59 aces from the 6'11" Croatian and stood tall amid spiking stress in the super tie break.
"It was a really tough match it could go both ways," Nishikori said. "I was down I think it was 7-6 in the tiebreak. I really returned well I focued well the last couple of points. You know, very happy to win here today."
Facing a fellow Floridian and Nishikori didn't dodge a bullet.
He redirected rockets.
Nimble around net, Karlovic showed his skills from the backcourt painting the back of the baseline then flicking a slick backhand volley down the line for a 7-6 tie break lead.
The crowd gasped when Karlovic netted a relatively routine forehand volley. That was all Nishikori needed as he slashed a backhand return winner down the line and closed with a slider serve down the middle.
Exchanges were limited—they averaged less than three shots per rally—but drama was dizzying.
The pair crashed net as routinely as waves crashing the beach combing for 175 trips to net.
The eighth-seeded Nishikori reached the Melbourne third round for the eighth time.
Nishikori will play either 32nd-seeded German Philipp Kohlschreiber or Portuguese baseliner Joao Sousa for a trip to the fourth round.
A shell-shocked Karlovic, just three points from victory moments earlier, trudged forward to face the torment of his fourth straight loss to one of the sport's premier returners.
The tie break was a heart break for Karlovic, who surrendered serve just once in three hours, 48 minutes.
Six weeks shy of his 40th birthday, Karlovic was agonizingly close to realizing his bid to become the oldest man to reach the Melbourne third round since Aussie legend Ken Rosewall reached that stage aged 44 years 62 days in 1978.
Fans wrapped Karlovic in a roar of respect as he walked the court and he responded blowing a couple of kisses.
Nishikori built a two-set lead only to see Karlovic play brilliant return games breaking in the 11th game of both the third and fourth sets to force a final set.
Meanwhile, Karlovic was cruising on serve. "That's almost never easy of course kind of frustrating if you cannot get the serve like three (aces) in a row," Nishikori said. "I think I focused well. In third and fourth sets it was really tough. I lost two easy games... I had to reload again in the fifth set, (a) really tough match."
Deadlocked at 4-all in the decider, Nishikori was dancing on the edge of disaster down triple break point.
One miscalulation and the ATP's all-time ace leader would serve for the match.
Probing the big man's backhand wing, Nishikori denied the first two break points then Karlovic blinked flattenin a forehand into the top of the tape. The Croatian pushed a volley wide as Nishikori exhaled in relief while coaches Dante Bottini and Michael Chang leaped from their seats exhorting their man.
A calm Karlovic held at 30 to force the final tie break.
This is exactly the type of Slam skirmish that propelled Nishikori to his lone major final at the 2014 US Open when he knocked off three Top 10 players—Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic—before bowing to Marin Cilic.
"I think this match will help for my confidence," Nishikori said. "It was a great match. I think we both played great tennis. Of course he served really well. I will try to carry this on to the last match."