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Copyright © 2016. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.
Hall Of Fame Tennis Championships
Newport, USA
RESULTS – SUNDAY, 17 JULY 2016
Singles – Final
[2] I. Karlovic (CRO) d [3] G. Muller (LUX) 67(2) 76(5) 76(12) – saved 3 M.P.
IN THIRD NEWPORT FINAL, KARLOVIC WINS FIRST TITLE
– In his third Newport final, Ivo Karlovic outlasted Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller to win his first Newport title. Karlovic had lost in the past two Hall of Fame Tennis Championships finals (2014, Hewitt; 2015, Ram).
– The match was Karlovic’s 15th career ATP World Tour final. He improved to 7-8 in finals. The win gives him his first title of the season.
– At 37 years, 4 months, Karlovic became the oldest champion in the tournament’s 40-year history. He also became the oldest ATP World Tour singles champion since Marty Riessen (37 years, 9 months) in 1979 (Lafayette, La.).
– Muller was going for his first career ATP World Tour title. He fell to 0-5 in finals. The 33 year old also lost in the ‘s-Hertogenbosch final earlier this season (l. to Mahut).
– Before this year, Muller had last played in a final in Atlanta in 2012. Before last week, Muller was 0-3 in Newport, having suffered a first-round loss during his three prior appearances.
WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID
Karlovic: “After all these years when I was losing in the final and now I was finally able to do it… And I was down a match point. That makes it even nicer.”
“In the beginning… I didn’t really feel my serve. I was a little bit doubtful. But I just tried to hang in there and tried to get to a tie-break any way I could. That was key. I was trying to get my serve better and as the match was going on I was serving better.”
“I’m really happy that I was able to do it this year… I really like it here. I like these courts… I always want to come here.”
Muller: “Having match points, being so close to winning my first title and not winning, it’s tough.”
“He played good. He came up with the big shots, with the right shots in the big moments and that’s what makes you win those matches.”
“I did what I could. I don’t feel like I did something wrong.”
Copyright © 2016. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.
