Things worsened on Thursday evening when the Swede’s tennis elbow hurt so much after three matches in one day that he was doubtful for Friday morning’s doubles semi-final.
But a good night’s sleep and some painkillers did Karlsson good, and the Moldovan pair Vladislav Ursu and Andrei Putuntica were then beaten in less than half an hour.
“In the warm-up today, it felt like before, completely fine. Of course it hurts in some situations, but it’s definitely manageable. It hurts, but not nearly as much as it did yesterday,” Karlsson tells SVT (Swedish public broadcaster).
Karlsson and Källberg won in straight sets - 11–5, 11–9, 15–13 - and can now look forward to Saturday evening’s final. They will face either the French pair Esteban Dorr and Florian Bourrassaud or star brothers Alexis and Felix Lebrun.
“We’re really looking forward to it,” says Anton Källberg.
Both Karlsson and Källberg will play in the men’s singles round of 16 later on Friday. Elias Ranefur and Truls Möregårdh also remain in the tournament.