Jack Sock registered his third top 10 scalp of his career on Friday with an assured 6-4 6-3 6-3 victory over #7 seed Marin Cilic. With fellow countrymen Steve Johnson and Donald Young having bowed out of the US Open hours earlier, and his match staged on the Louis Armstrong Stadium, Sock could easily have succumbed to the weight of expectation. Yet the #27 seed delivered an imperious performance to cruise into the fourth round.
Marin Cilic, a former US Open Champion, arrived at Flushing Meadows on a high. The Croat had recently ended Andy Murray’s 22-match winning streak to take the Cincinnati Masters title. In this vein of form, it seemed conceivable that Cilic could repeat his heroics of 2014. But Sock was able to match Cilic’s powerful blows from the outset. The American reciprocated the comfortable holds of his opponent, before manufacturing two precious break points at 3-3. Cilic netted; so Sock capitalised first time of asking.
A measured love hold consolidated Sock’s break. And then, for all the American’s rampancy and allowing Cilic his first break point chance, Sock’s composure prevailed once again as he confidently served the set out at 5-4. The Louis Armstrong Court was rocking.
And the crowd soon descended into raucous applause again. With Cilic still fumbling for some rhythm, Sock secured a swift break at 1-1 with a stunning return. Twitter and US Open apps alike began to explode with the ominous cry of ‘Upset alert!’ Yet Cilic was unable to alleviate the mounting pressure in the face of Sock’s clinical serving. Indeed the Croat never even had another break point.
But with Sock’s bullish baseline play and, at times, subtle hand skills, Cilic’s serve remained far from impenetrable. The world #27 broke once again to take the second set.
The third set soon entered the same deadlock as the first though, with both players determinedly gripping onto their serves. It seemed that this encounter would finally descend into the nervous tension of the tiebreak many had been expecting. However at 4-3, Sock was the beneficiary of some loose Cilic groundstrokes and secured his fourth break. On the cusp of victory, the crowd favourite reproduced that same measured persona which had characterized his performance. With one final stunningly deep first serve forcing the error from his opponent, Jack Sock secured a milestone victory. Since winning the US Open junior championship in 2010, Sock has been regarded as spearheading the next generation of America’s elite. After Friday’s victory, seeing him through to just his second Grand Slam singles fourth round, Sock may finally deliver a tournament display truly worthy of his potential.
Main Photo:
