Muller edges Karlovic to end wait for final berth

Gilles Muller won a battle of the big servers with Ivo Karlovic to end his four-year wait for a return to an ATP singles final at the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships.

Muller, whose last final came in 2012 when he lost to Andy Roddick at the Atlanta Open, came through 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4).

Neither player faced a break point in a match that featured 43 aces.

It was Muller who had the slight edge in that department as he fired 22 aces to Karlovic's 21, and it was the seventh seed who also proved superior in the two tie-breaks to end the third seed's hopes of a seventh ATP title.

"I'm happy I'm in a final," Muller said. "It was a very tough match. The most important points were in the tie-break and I didn't lose one point on serve in the tie-breaks."

Muller will now face reigning champion Nicolas Mahut, after the Frenchman came from a set down to beat Sam Querrey 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4.

Querrey fired down 11 aces in the first set alone, but Mahut gradually got to grips with his opponent's serve to remain on course for a third title at 's-Hertogenbosch in four years.