The two veterans led an unforgiving fight in which the 37-year-old Zagreb native failed to triumph
Croatian tennis player Ivo Karlović was the first seeded player at the ATP Tour in Ecuadorian capital Quito, made 39 aces and missed three match-points in a duel with the former winner in Quito, Dominican Victor Estrella Burgos, who was better with 6-7 (7), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (8) after two hours and 11 minutes, Jutarnji List reported on February 10, 2017.
In a match without a single break point, a true rarity for matches on clay courts, the two veterans led an unforgiving fight in which the 37-year-old Zagreb native failed to triumph, while the 36-year-old Estrella Burgos achieved his 12th consecutive win at the Ecuador Open.
Ivo Karlović was but a step away from stopping the title defender, leading in the decisive tie-break with 6-4 and on serve. But he made his third, also last double error in the match, missing a forehand shot in the next point so the Dominican equalized to 6-6. Karlović also had a third match-point leading 8-7, but missed another forehand by a few centimetres. With two more points Estrella Burgos placed in the quarterfinals of the tournament in which he won the last two editions.
