Ryan Harrison punched his ticket to the Houston second round after beating 40-year-old Ivo Karlovic, 6-3, 6-4, at the US Men's Clay Court Championships in Texas.
"I felt like from the beginning I was in a good rhythm with my serve," Ryan said after his win. "I felt composed on the clay. I was moving well. Ivo can put you in some tough spots with some deep volleys because he's always serving and volleying and coming in."
26-year-old Harrison first played in this tournament 11 years ago, becoming the 10th player to win a main tour match before his 16th birthday—he was 15 at the time. He lost to the then top-seeded James Blake in the following round.
"You know, I was talking about this tournament because the start of this year hasn't been the way I want to. And then whenever I'm coming back to a place with good memories, I love playing here in Texas. I live very close by. So to be back here, those memories are just really funny. I mean I have some vivid memories of that match that will never go away, I feel like as long as I live."
Karlovic, the 2007 champion, was last year's semifinalist, where he became the oldest player to reach the semifinals since Jimmy Connors in 1993—Karlovic had just turned 39 a month prior.
Up next for the American is either Henri Laaksonen or No. 6-seed Mackenzie McDonald.
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