ECKENTAL, November 1, 2019
Evgeny Karlovskiy knocked out the last German standing in the singles draw of the Challenger Eckental. The World No. 263 from Russia rallied past No. 4 seed Peter Gojowczyk 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 on Friday evening to book his spot in the semi-finals of the International German Indoor Championships.
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@karlovskiy knocks out Peter Gojowczyk to reach the semis at @challengereckental
Karlovskiy struck 13 aces and broke his opponent’s serve four times to advance after one hour and 39 minutes. “It was a tough match against a great player,” Karlovskiy said. “I just tried to give my best. I was a bit unlucky in the first set, as I didn’t capitalize on my chances and then he broke me. But I focused on my serve in the following.”
The combination of German carpet and Karlovskiy seems to work out well for the 25-year-old Moscow native. Two years ago, Karlovskiy clinched the title of the ITF Pro Circuit event in Schwieberdingen, also held on this rare surface. “It’s pretty similar to grass. Low bounces and it’s pretty fast. There are not so many tournaments anymore but most of them are in Germany.”
Karlosvkiy will next take on Jiri Vesely from the Czech Republic. The No. 7 seed also came back from a set down to overcome Botic van de Zandschulp, who lifted his maiden trophy on the ATP Challenger Tour in Hamburg last Sunday. Vesely won 53 per cent of the total points played to prevail 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 after one hour and 38 minutes.
Harris beats in-form Lacko
Earlier in the day, Lloyd Harris fought past recent Wolffkran Open champion Lukas Lacko from Slovakia. The 22-year-old South African fired 30 aces and won 80 per cent of his first-service points to secure a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3 victory in one hour and 44 minutes.
“It was a really difficult match today but I served very well. That was very important. All in all it was a solid match,” Harris told Tennis TourTalk. “I barely ever played on carpet. I haven’t had so many chances to play on this surface before coming to Eckental. This is my third tournament. It’s something different. You need to get used to it. It definitely suits the serve. I am enjoying it so far.”
The Cape Town native will next take on Belgian veteran Steve Darcis, who edged past Illya Marchenko from the Ukraine, winning 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-3.
“It’s a familiar name,” Harris commented on his upcoming opponent. “He has been on the tour for a long time and I watched him many times. He is a difficult opponent, a very tricky one but I am excited. He plays well on this surface. He serves well, using the slice very effectively, coming forward to the net as well. It will be a crafty match from his side but my focus will be on what I want to do. If I executed, I will have a good shot. That’s the idea for tomorrow.”
8⃣ Random Questions with @lloydharris63 at the @ATPChallenger in Eckental. 🎙️🎧 pic.twitter.com/R814gKTIYM
— Florian Heer (@Florian_Heer) November 1, 2019
