ERIC WILLEMSEN
Associated Press
VIENNA (AP) — Philipp Kohlschreiber made a winning return from a four-week injury layoff Wednesday, rallying to defeat Carlos Berlocq of Argentina 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the second round of the Erste Bank Open.
The fourth-seeded German, who had a bye in the first round, pulled out of the quarterfinals at Metz last month with a right shoulder injury.
“It’s amazing what some weeks off and treatment can do, I feel fresh and good now,” said the 23rd-ranked Kohlschreiber, who reached his 10th quarterfinal of the season. “It was a tough match but I knew my shoulder would hold up well. My goal is to finish the season inside the top 20.”
Kohlschreiber will next play either fellow German Benjamin Becker or last year’s finalist Robin Haase of the Netherlands.
Ivo Karlovic of Croatia reached his sixth quarterfinal of the year after beating two-time former champion Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 7-6 (1).
The sixth-seeded Karlovic, who served 21 aces, broke Melzer at 2-2 in the opening set, shortly after the Austrian was treated for a rapid heartbeat.
Melzer pointed to his chest as he walked off the court but resumed the match a couple of minutes later without apparent problems.
“That happens to me one or two times a year,” Melzer said. “It suddenly feels like you’ve sprinted 800 meters. It’s more scaring for people who see it than it is for me.”
The second set went without service breaks into a tiebreaker after Karlovic saved a set point for Melzer at 5-4.
“I don’t feel like I’ve played a tennis match,” said Melzer, referring to his opponent’s dominant serve and the lack of rallies.
Karlovic next plays either top-seeded David Ferrer or Tobias Kamke of Germany, who rallied to defeat Simone Bolleli of Italy 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
In first-round play, the fifth-seeded Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic ended his six-match losing streak by beating Lukas Lacko of Slovakia 6-2, 6-4.
Rosol, who hadn’t won since clinching his second-career title at Winston-Salem in August, set up a second-round match against Viktor Troicki of Serbia.
Also, Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine advanced to after defeating Miloslav Mecir of Slovakia 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
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