In their first singles match against each other, Jack Sock topped his doubles partner Vasek Pospisil 6-2, 6-4 at the ASB Classic in Auckland on Wednesday. The American was all business in the court while the Canadian looked overwhelmed and affected playing against his doubles partner during the contest. It was all Sock during the 71 minute match as he eliminated Pospisil and advanced to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open tune-up event.
Sock Cruises Through The First
The 23-year-old American, who is ranked 26 in the world, didn’t waste any time in the first game. After missing a volley at 30-15 to make it 30-all, Sock got an early break point after Pospisil dumped a backhand into the net. The Canadian followed it with a forehand error to put Sock up a break.
Pospisil wasn’t happy with himself after dropping the first game. After Sock had held his service game, he continued to put pressure on Pospisil. At 30-all, Pospisil dumped another forehand into the net. With another chance to break, the American hit a backhand second serve return winner down the line to go up 3-0. Sock had settled comfortably and was sharp early on. But that couldn’t be said for the Canadian as he looked uneasy and uncomfortable. It had taken five games before Pospisil got on the scoreboard.
Sock didn’t face any break points during the first set, and he was consistent with his shots. The American was moving freely, a benefit of being up two breaks. Meanwhile, Pospisil was tight and played defense more during the set. Sock easily closed the set at 40-15, hitting three winners including two aces to take it 6-2 in 27 minutes.
Even though Sock didn’t get a lot of first serves in, only 57 percent, he won 92 percent of them indicating that Pospisil wasn’t returning well. The Canadian got 69 percent of his first serves in. However, compared to the American, Pospisil only won 67 percent. Sock hit four aces, six winners, and six unforced errors – a good ratio of winners and error. Pospisil hit two aces, five winners, but hit 14 unforced errors which helped Sock cruised through the first easily.
An Early Break Seals The Match For Sock
In the second set, the 25-year-old Canadian who is ranked 39 got broken again in the first game. After four deuces, Pospisil dumped a volley into the net to give Sock a break point then followed it with a double fault. With Sock up 2-0, the Canadian continued to have a shaky service game as Sock continued to pressure him.
Pospisil needed to save three break points in the third game of the set to hold. Still up a break in the sixth game, Sock sent a forehand long to give Pospisil his first break point of the match, but the American responded with a powerful backhand winner down to the line to force deuce. Pospisil would end up hitting back-to-back errors after the second deuce as Sock held on the early break.
The Canadian tried to put pressure on Sock but the American responded well during the first game he got in trouble. Sock hit deep returns that caught Pospisil off guard forcing the Canadian to make mistakes. Sock held onto the early break as he closed the set and won the match comfortably.
The American continued to hit the ball cleanly especially during critical situations in the contest. Meanwhile, Pospisil didn’t play his best today because he was either uncomfortable playing his doubles partner or due to the windy conditions. Nevertheless, the Canadian has seen better matches.
Sock on Pospisil, The Windy Conditions, and Kevin Anderson
In his on-court interview, Sock expressed the difficulty of playing his doubles partner whom he shared five doubles win including Wimbledon. “It’s never easy. We’ve never played each other,” he said. “It’s always a little bit different playing them. Today’s condition were some of the toughest we’ve played. I’ve seen him play a lot of matches over the last two years. I don’t think he was at his best today, but it’s tennis we knew we have to play each other at some point.”
“I thought I was handling the conditions well. It’s very difficult down here. The wind is swirling a lot. It comes out of nowhere,” said Sock about the conditions on court. “It’s definitely tough out here, but I was just happy finding a way to make balls and try to get the win.”
The American will play Kevin Anderson in the quarterfinals. “It’s definitely a tough match. He’s top 12 for a reason. I definitely need to put my best to win,” said Sock. They have played each other twice, each winning a match apiece.
Match Stats
A look at the final match statistics, Sock didn’t hit a lot of first serves in, with only 53 percent going in. But he won 93 percent of those first serve points. Pospisil had a better first serve percentage with 59, winning 62 percent of the first serves. It shows how weak the return game of the Canadian was. Sock hit eight aces, three double faults, ten winners, 19 unforced errors. Meanwhile, Pospisil had seven aces, four double faults, 12 winners, and 32 unforced errors.