Tsonga, Murray in Vienna showdown
vienna — Jo-Wilfried Tsonga saved a match point before beating Ivo Karlovic 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (6) and setting up a final against topseeded Andy Murray at the Erste Bank Open on Saturday.
Murray advanced because defending champion David Ferrer pulled out with a left leg injury shortly before their semifinal.
Tournament director Herwig Straka said Ferrer visited a private clinic, where doctors advised him not to play. Ferrer already looked hampered in Friday’s quarterfinal, and he complained about muscle cramps after the 2 1/2-hour match against Viktor Troicki.
“The last two matches I had pain. It’s too much to play now,” the 19th-ranked Spaniard said.
The ATP said it was only the second time in 1,024 career matches that Ferrer withdrew.
“He must be in quite a lot of pain,” Murray said. “I’ll use today as a rest day, practice a little bit on the center court.”
Murray, who is 6-4 in finals this year, could set a personal best with a seventh tournament win in 2016. He leads Tsonga 12-3 in career meetings and has won the last four matches against the 15th-ranked Frenchman.
The Scot, who is chasing his 42nd career title, is on a 13-match winning streak after winning back-to-back titles in Beijing and Shanghai. He won in Vienna on his only previous visit, in 2014.
“I’m obviously motivated to try and finish the season as strong as I can,” Murray said. —