Ivo Karlovic rides big serve into semifinals at Vienna

Ivo Karlovic used a big serve to fight off match point in the second set and survive with a 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals of the Erste Bank Open 500 on Friday in Vienna, Austria.

The ATP Tour ace leader added 29 more to his total and saved all three break points he faced against the Russian wild card. No. 8 seed Karlovic is up to 1,081 aces on the year and will face sixth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals.

Tsonga earned a 6-2, 7-6 (5) win over Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas in his quarterfinal match by burying 10 aces and saving five break points. The Frenchman, who won the event in 2011, has never beaten Karlovic in two career matches.

The two engaged in a pair of memorable four-set matches in the Round of 32 at Wimbledon in 2009 and 2015, with both matches going four sets and each featuring three tiebreakers. Karlovic was a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (5) winner in 2009 and a 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (9) winner in 2015.

Fifth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer reached the semifinals in Vienna as well with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 win over Serbian Viktor Troicki. Troicki recorded eight aces in the decisive third set but was broken twice by Ferrer, who will take on top-seeded Brit Andy Murray in the semifinals.

Murray enjoyed the easiest day of anyone in Vienna on Friday, cruising past American John Isner 6-1, 6-3 in 1 hour, 14 minutes. Isner, who is second only to Karlovic in aces on the tour, managed seven against Murray and never broke the No. 1 seed.

Murray is 14-6 in his career against Ferrer with seven straight wins, a streak that began with a 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 victory in the 2014 Vienna final.