PBZ Zagreb Indoors

Top seed Marin Cilic of Croatia battled to a 7-6 6-4 win over compatriot Ivo Karlovic to stay on course for his second consecutive Zagreb Indoors title.

The Australian Open semi-finalist and world number 10 faced 24 aces from the towering 6-foot-10 (2.08 metres) Karlovic in the first set which he edged in a tiebreak.

Croatian Marin Cilic eased into the quarter-finals in Zagreb with a 6-2 6-1 win over German Daniel Koellerer.

Australian Open semi-finalist Marin Cilic cruised through his opening match at ATP Zagreb with a 6-2 6-2 victory over Jan Hajek.

Third-seeded Jurgen Melzer defeated Daniel Brands of Germany 6-4, 6-3 in 94 minutes on Monday to advance to the second round of the Zagreb Indoors ATP tournament.

The lefthanded Austrian served for the first set at 5-3, but was broken by Brands, currently ranked 93rd in the ATP singles rankings. In the next game Melzer broke again to secure the first set.

Brands was hampered by squandered opportunities, winning just one of 8 break points. He lost his serve again in the eighth game and went on to lose the set 6-3.

Seventh-seeded Marin Cilic beat Mario Ancic 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday in an all-Croatian final at the Zagreb Indoors.

The victory gave Cilic his third ATP title but first in his home country.

“I achieved my dream,” Cilic said. “I’m glad I kept my maximum performance in the finals, which will boost my confidence next time I reach the finals.”

Cilic saved seven break points in the first game, but soon ran off to a 5-1 lead in the first set. In the second, Cilic led 2-0 but was broken before he again took control.

 Marin Cilic and Mario Ancic ensured an all-Croatian final in the 450,000-euro (574,000-dollar) Zagreb ATP tournament on Saturday after defeating Viktor Troicki of Serbia and Czech Jan Hernych respectively.

Second-seeded Cilic eased to a 6-2, 7-5 victory in a match lasting one hour and 25 minutes.

The first set was resolved in the fifth game when Cilic secured a break for a 3-2 lead before the 22-year-old Serbian needed treatment on a back injury. With Troicki struggling, Cilic secured victory courtesy of a break in the 11th game for a 6-5 lead.

Mario Ancic ended qualifier Ivan Dodig’s excellent run at the PBZ Zagreb Indoors by winning their quarterfinal in straight sets Friday.

The seventh-seeded Ancic claimed a comfortable 6-1 6-3 success to book his place in the last four and deprive his opponent of another scalp.

Croatian Dodig had beaten top seed Igor Andreev in the first round and then saw off Ernests Gulbis in the second round.

Second seed Marin Cilic also advanced after he battled past Antonic Veic, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6).

Third seed Ivo Karlovic made a second round exit at the PBZ Zagreb Indoors on Thursday as defending champion Sergiy Stakhovsky battled to defeat the Croatian 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at the ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament.

Despite 12 aces and a first serve conversion rate of 84 per cent, the 25th-ranked Karlovic was broken twice in the 92-minute match. The 2006 quarter-finalist (l. to Koubek) slipped to a 3-4 record for the season.

Top seed Igor Andreev suffered his second first round exit of the 2009 ATP World Tour season at the PBZ Zagreb Indoors on Tuesday. The Russian, who also lost to Marin Cilic at the ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament in 2006, suffered a 6-1, 6-4 defeat to World No. 425 Ivan Dodig in 75 minutes.

Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky caused a major upset by beating top seed Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia 7-5 6-4 in the Zagreb Indoor final to win his first ATP title.