WHAT HAPPENED: Ivo Karlovic broke the record for most aces in a US Open match with his first-round win on Tuesday, with 61. On Thursday, he hit a comparatively paltry 24, but it was still more than enough to move into the third round over Donald Young on Court 17, 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-4.
A pair of backhand errors gave Karlovic an early break to lead 2-1 in the opening set, and the slight advantage was all he needed. He staved off both break points against him at 4-3 and put together a routine hold in his next service game to take the opening set.
Although Young was able to block more of Karlovic's returns back in the second set, the pressure to convert on those chances resulted in several routine misses. The pair traded service holds to force a tiebreak, but Young gave a mini-break advantage to the Croat when he sent a backhand long. Karlovic won the final two points of the tiebreak to take a commanding two-set lead.
The third set was also decided by a single break, with Karlovic breaking the American up 5-4 to wrap up the win just before midnight. He finished the night with 52 winners and 45 unforced errors.
WHAT IT MEANS: Karlovic advances into the third round of the US Open for the first time since 2011. He also brought his US Open record back even, now going 12-12 throughout his career. However, he has yet to reach the second week here in 16 appearances.
He'll be a heavy favorite to do that when plays American qualifier Jared Donaldson in the third round. Donaldson is having the tournament of his life, having upset No. 12 seed David Goffin in the opening round, but this is uncharted territory for him at a Grand Slam. This will also be the first meeting between the pair, and it often takes players at least a set to figure out how to adapt to Karlovic's rocket serves. If the Croat can apply pressure immediately and keep a pro-Donaldson crowd from getting involved, he has a strong chance to produce a milestone US Open moment in his career.
THE QUESTION: How far do you think Karlovic can go at this year's US Open?
