Johnson beats second-seeded Anderson to reach Vienna semis

VIENNA (AP) Steve Johnson of the United States rallied to defeat second-seeded Kevin Anderson 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-4 and reach his fourth career semifinal at the Erste Bank Open on Friday.

The 47th-ranked Johnson dropped serve once in the opening set and had to save four break points in the second but denied the 11th-ranked South African any break chances in the final set.

Johnson next plays Ernests Gulbis of Latvia, who beat seventh-seeded Ivo Karlovic of Croatia 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5).

Anderson hit 23 aces to raise his total to 1,003 for the season. It's the first time that three players have scored more than 1,000 aces in the same season after Karlovic and John Isner of the United States also passed the mark.