CARY, September 19, 2015
Five US-Americans, one Canadian, one British as well as one Slovenian were in action on quarterfinals Friday at the Cary Tennis Championships.
Brydan Klein caused the upset of the day knocking out top-seed Bjorn Fratangelo with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 win. The world number 178 from Great Britain fired ten aces and won 76% of his first service points to reach the semi-finals in one hour and 33 minutes.
With Dennis Novikov, Klein will take on another US-American next. The seventh favourite defeated Peter Polansky, winning 7-6, 6-1. Novikov capitalized on three of his 13 break points and hit 10 aces to prevail in one hour and 19 minutes.
In the final match on centre court Ryan Harrisson emerged victorious from the all-US-American-affair, winning 7-5, 7-6 against second seed Austin Krajicek. The former world number 43, who dropped in rankings to 129th position due to injury and received a wild card, was the more effective player on court. Harrisson saved the only two break points he faced and broke Krajicek’s service once. The 23-year-old from Austin fired 12 aces and closed the match after one hour and 50 minutes to set a semi-finals clash with Blaz Rola.
The tournament’s fourth favourite overcame Kevin King in the longest encounter of the day, lasting two hours and 40 minutes. The world number 139 from Slovenia, who played three years at Ohio State University from 2011 to 2013 and captured the NCAA singles title in 2013, withstood 13 aces from his opponent, won 69% of his own first service points to claim a 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 victory.
Rola and Harrisson will meet for the second time on the tour with the US-American leading 1-0 in head to head record, winning the only previous match at Happy Valley Challenger in three sets at the beginning of this season.
