Thursday 22 May 2014 21:08, UK
Ivo Karlovic reached the semi-finals of the Dusseldorf Open with a 6-4 3-6 6-3 victory over defending champion Juan Monaco.
The 6ft 10in Croatian served 19 aces during the match and will next face Jiri Vesely, who reached his first ATP Tour semi-final with a 6-1 6-1 win over Jurgen Melzer.
It was a miserable 33rd birthday for Austrian veteran Melzer but a big moment for his young conqueror.
"It's amazing. It was one of my goals this year to reach the final rounds of an ATP event, and I'm very happy that I made it right before the French Open," Vesely told the ATP's official website.
Top seed Philipp Kohlschreiber will have to finish his quarter-final on Friday after bad light intervened with the German leading Mate Delic 7-5 4-4.
The winner will meet Denis Istomin, who knocked out third seed Andreas Seppi 6-3 6-4.
