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WASHINGTON -- Even Ivo Karlovic willingly admits that whatever success he has on a tennis court is due mainly to his big serve.Well, that one stroke is in fine form at the moment, and so is Karlovic, closing in on a second consecutive title at age 37.Karlovic saved all five break points he faced Saturday and ran his service-game record to 43 for 43 this week, beating fifth-seeded American Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-4 to reach the Citi Open final.This is my game. This is my strength, said the 6-foot-11 Karlovic, a Croatian seeded 13th at the hard-court tournament.He broke Johnson in the third game of each set, right after saving break points on his own serve.Its definitely frustrating when you have chances, you dont take `em, and you lose your focus for a second and you lose serve, said Johnson, a 26-year-old from California who eliminated top-seeded John Isner in the quarterfinals. And thats the margin when you play a guy (like) Ivo, (who) pretty much only has a serve.Karlovic will face No. 2-seeded Gael Monfils on Sunday. Monfils, the 2011 runner-up at Washington, advanced by breaking No. 7 Alexander Zverev four times in a 6-4, 6-0 victory that lasted only an hour.Zverev said afterward he had been throwing up and was dehydrated, attributing the problem to something he ate and adding: Its not like I didnt try.Monfils reached the 25th final of his career, but hes only won five in the past. He is 2-2 against Karlovic, but they havent faced each other in five years.Ivo is the same, said Monfils, who has accumulated 15 breaks of serve this week. You know what to expect.In the womens semifinals, No. 7 Yanina Wickmayer beat No. 6 Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 6-2, and 122nd-ranked Lauren Davis defeated 173rd-ranked Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-3 in a matchup of 22-year-old Americans. Wickmayer, who teamed with Monica Niculescu to win the doubles title Saturday, will be appearing in her 11th WTA singles final, while Davis -- who was born in Ohio and is based in Florida -- will be in her first.Last week, at the grass-court tournament in Newport, Rhode Island, Karlovic became the oldest man since 1979 to win an ATP singles title. Now he is into another final, the 16th of his career. He is 7-8 so far.In my old age, Karlovic joked, it is good when you can reach your goals.Since losing his first six matches of 2016, Karlovic has gone 16-7.His game is based on his serve, which comes at opponents from way up high and gets quite a bounce on Washingtons hard courts, especially in the July heat. The temperature approached 100 degrees Saturday, prompting Karlovic to say afterward: There was this moment where I wanted to lay down.In the 25 years that ATP service stats cover, Karlovic leads the tour with more than 11,000 aces and by winning 92 percent of his service games. He hit 14 aces Saturday, including at 134 mph and 132 mph on the last two points.Johnson serves well, too, and he came into the semifinal having held in all 32 of his service games, saving 7 of 7 break points.Those streaks did not last long.In Johnsons second service game, less than 15 minutes in, he missed a shot at deuce to hand over a break point and angrily smacked a ball. Then, with both men at the net, Karlovic lunged for a backhand volley winner to go up 2-1.In the second set, Karlovic broke by delivering back-to-back return winners.After the match, Johnson took to Twitter to respond to some of the meaner messages he received. Among Johnsons choice phrases: Learn English so we know what you are trying to say and you are an idiot.Asked at his news conference about the exchanges, Johnson said he doesnt take it seriously, whatsoever and considers those sending pointed messages his way useless human beings.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich Jordan Eberle Jersey . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. Denis Potvin Jersey . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East. http://www.islanderssale.com/authentic-andrew-ladd-islanders-jersey/ . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. Tom Kuhnhackl Jersey . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. Matt Martin Islanders Jersey .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks aim for their third three-game winning streak of the season when they host the struggling Edmonton Oilers in Sundays battle at the United Center.TSN Soccer analyst Gareth Wheelers Midweek Musings on the Barclays Premier League. Welcome to the goal-line technology era in British top-flight football. Seamless, wasnt it? I bet you hardly noticed. Makes you wonder whats taken so long. One of the sights of the opening weekend in the Barclays Premier League came Sunday (as seen on TSN, heard on TSN Radio) as Chelsea right-back Branislav Ivanovic had his header on goal cleared off the line by Hull City goalkeeper Allan McGregor. The play ominous, as it was the first decent shout for the use of the goal-line technology. Instead of running over to the linesman or shouting at the match official, all Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho had to do was turn to the fourth official for a verdict. A simple look and he had his answer. Mourinho, in his always-colourful fashion, arms flailing, turned to fourth official Andre Marriner. Holding his wrist, Marriner showed Mourinho his red and black watch. The device wasnt vibrating. No flash of the word goal. And it was understood the ball didnt cross the line. The two men had a laugh. As did Hull City manager Steve Bruce. The two managers even shared a hug. And it was over with. The television replay and subsequent graphic confirmed what we all knew. No lengthy debate. No prolonged protestations. The situation was over. No goal. The technology got it right. Simple. Quick. And effective. Hawk-Eye goal-line technology has been developed since 1999 and used in the Premier League for the first time on the weekend. Its the same technology thats revolutionized tennis with instant replays on hotly contested shots; in or out and a decisive answer. It takes less than a second for the high-speed cameras to determine whether the ball has crossed the line on the pitch. Although its inevitably at the referees discretion to ask the fourth official for the goal/no-goal verdict based upon the encrypted wristwatch, the man in charge would be a fool not to use his help through technology. Sunday was exhibit A how efficient it was executed. Many fought diligently to keep goal-line technology out of football. FIFA president Sepp Blatter dragged his feet accepting the clear benefits of technology, saying rejecting hi-tech progress put the game in a special place, creating more fascination and popularity in the game. Human error was deemed to be charming and a catalyst for conversation and debate. Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand concurs, speaking out against goal-line technology before the season. Ferdinand believes "Incidents like that add to the game because it runs into radio phone-ins, people talk about it in the pub and in other media. Was it a goal or wasnt it." I strongly disagree. Debate will always exist in football. Various approaches to the game, and more importantly, the subjective nature of officiating provides substantial fodder to argue and discuss. A match-officials interpretation and implementation of the rules of the game, what is a foul and how to manage proceedings varies from match to match. Just ask Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway how he felt about the opening weekend officiating. Holloway provided plenty of food for thought. The conversation to do with on field injustice is going nowhere. Penalty calls, foul calls around the box, what constitutes a proper caution or sending off, even a flag offside are entirely unpredictable and an imperfect science. Whether a ball crosses a goal-line is black and white. Its not subjective in nature. Its a game-changing call. And it has to be correct. I covered the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and was in attendance in Bloemfontein for Englands 4-1 loss to Germany in the Round of 16. Germany held a 2-1 lead in the first half. Frank Lampards shot from outside the box hit off the bottom of the crossbar and over the goal-line before spinning back out of the net. The linemans flag stayed down. No goal. The crowd was irate. Mere seconds after the play, a photographer in front of me turned and showed photo evidence. It wasnt even close. The ball crossed the line. The match was immediately riddled in controversy. And England lost their way. In 2005, Manchester United goalkeeper Roy Carroll was bailed out by the linesman for what could have been one of the biggest howlers in Premier League history. Spurs midfielder Pedro Mendes hit the ball from just inside Uniteds half. It was a flooater.dddddddddddd Carroll stumbled, failed to cover and put the ball into his own net. In a moment of panic, Carroll scooped the ball out and the play carried on. It was a shocking miss by the match officials. And a clear sign technology was needed to help during such critical moments. The match ended in a scoreless draw. And Carrolls blushes were saved. The embarrassment of the referees was not. Goal-line technology is the ultimate helping hand. Argument over whether the ball crossed the line is nonsensical with video replay from multiple angles providing irrefutable evidence. Lets save our debate for the subjective side of the game. Hawk-Eye goal-line technology ensures that. And the Premier League is better for it. - Newcastle manager Alan Pardew and Everton boss Roberto Martinez have criticized transfer activity and the approaches of their players as the transfer window remains open despite the start of the Premier League season. The window stays open until September 2nd. Pardew has called for the transfer window to be closed before the first ball of the season is kicked. And hes absolutely right. Get rid of the distraction. Get rid of the excuse. A team should be forced to do team business in the run-up to the season. The preseason instead has become a time to trek around the world on sponsorship and business endeavours. Take care of your transfer business first. And dont let it linger. Close the window early. - Manchester City showed their title credentials in Mondays 4-0 win over Newcastle. The bad news, captain Vincent Kompany will miss three weeks with a groin injury, putting his fitness in question for the match-day five meeting with Manchester United. The positive news, Citys next three matches come against newly promoted Cardiff and Hull, as well as lowly Stoke. Kompanys loss mitigated by poor competition. - Widespread questioning of Manchester Uniteds title chances seemed to have quelled to a certain degree after scoring four at Swansea. But the need for upgrades in the transfer market has not. Uniteds double swoop attempt for Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines is a curious one, with Everton going public about the move. Its a curious tactic Everton revealing Uniteds approach. The tactic signals a possible negotiating ploy out of Goodison Park to drive up the price of the players, rather than being insulted by the bid, as Martinez proclaims. There has to be more than what appears. Uniteds bid for Fellaini makes sense to fill a need at central midfield. A move for Baines doesnt make much sense at all. Patrice Evra has been fantastic at left-back for United for the better part of the last two years. United would be better off pursuing a younger successor for the position. A player like Southampton 18-year old Luke Shaw makes much more sense. - It looks like Yohan Cabaye will leave Newcastle for Arsenal. A price needs to be settled, but it seems the Emirates is the most likely destination for the Frenchman. The bigger question; would Cabaye solve Arsenals problems? Arsene Wenger is under pressure to buy, but the team would be better off investing in a new goalkeeper, a reliable centre-back and a top class striker. A player like Cabaye falls further down a preferred shopping list. - Its always good seeing smaller clubs buy intelligently, bringing in players specific to the clubs needs. After a terrible start to last season upon promotion and through a managerial change, Southampton has emerged a dangerous club showing ambition. The spine of the team up the middle is all-important to competing week after week in the Prem. And the Saints have significantly upgraded those areas. Centre-back Dejan Lovren (Lyon), central midfielder Victor Wanyama (Celtic), and striker Pablo Osvaldo (Roma) bring substance to an already talented side. A push for a Europa League spot is not crazy to suggest. - Impressive teams not picking up three points: Everton, Swansea. - Not sure what they are: Fulham, West Brom, Liverpool. - Performer of the week: Robin van Persie (Manchester United) - Biggest disappointment: Arsenal. - Underrated players: Kevin Nolan (West Ham), Steven Pineaar (Everton), Mile Jedinak (Crystal Palace), Sascha Riether (Fulham) - Match-day two fixture(s) to watch: Manchester United v Chelsea, Tottenham v Swansea You can reach Gareth at gareth.wheeler@bellmedia.ca or follow him on Twitter, @WheelerTSN ' ' '