Kei Nishikori, Ivo Karlovic to vie for U.S. Indoors title

MEMPHIS, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Defending champ Kei Nishikori will meet Ivo Karlovic for the title of the U.S. National Indoor Championships after each logged a semifinal win Saturday.

The Japanese top seed advanced to the final with a 6-3, 6-2 dismissal of American Michael Russell. Nishikori is seeking to become the first back-to-back winner in Memphis since Tommy Haas in 2006-07.

He will meet Croatia's Karlovic, who moved on when fourth-seeded Yen-Hsun Lu of Taiwan retired with a neck injury after dropping the first set 1-6.

Lu had made the semis with a 6-1, 6-4 decision over Alex Kuznetsov Friday.