Jack Sock staged an incredible comeback to win a three-setter against Kevin Anderson 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday at the ASB Classic. The American was impressive in the second and third set after he played a lousy first during their quarterfinals match at the Australian Open tune-up event. Sock advanced to the semifinals in Auckland for the first time with the win.
Anderson Demolishes Sock In The First
The two have played each other only twice, both last year, winning one match apiece. After an easy hold in the first game, the 29-year-old South African got two break points. But with American’s reliable serve he was able to save them, hitting an ace and a second serve that Anderson dumped into the net, Sock held his service game to make 1-all.
Up 2-1, Anderson had another pair of break points after a lob and an error from Sock. But, the American with his dependable serve, hit a 137 MPH ace on 30-40, to save both break points and force deuce. However, Anderson got the break on the fourth break point of the game after a backhand error from Sock.
Up a break, Anderson got another break point after the American double-faulted at 30-all. Sock hit another double fault to get broken for the second time in the set. In the next service game with Anderson looking to win the set, tied at 30-all, Sock hit a backhand return long to give Anderson set point. The South African capitalized the set point and hit his 7th ace of the match to win the first set 6-1 in 30 minutes.
Anderson played high-quality tennis as indicated by his 80 first serve percentage. He won 88 percent of those first serves which indicated Sock’s weak return game. In the set, Sock couldn’t put a racket on the ball since he couldn’t guess right where Anderson will hit his serves. Also, the American didn’t serve will with only 57 percent of his first serves put in play. Anderson hit seven aces, seven winners, and only made five unforced errors compared to Sock’s nine and two winners.
Sock Fights Back To Win Second
Tied 2-all in the second set after both players held serve in the first two games, Sock hit a forehand error to put Anderson up 0-30. However, the resilient American tied it back up with a massive first serve and with an Anderson backhand error. But the South African responded with an incredible forehand winner to get a break point that was squandered minutes after Sock hit his 4th ace of the match to force deuce. Sock followed that up with back to back huge first serves that Anderson couldn’t handle, to hold.
In the following game, up 40-30, Anderson dumped a backhand into the net that brought the game to deuce. But the South African, proving why he’s ranked 12th in the world, hit an ace and a massive second serve to hold and make it 3-all. Both players held their next service games comfortably. It looked like Sock had found his game that brought the intensity and quality of the match higher than the first set.
The American held easily at 40-15 in his service game to go up 5-4. With the pressure now on Anderson, the South African looked like he’s going to hold comfortably as he was up 40-0 easily. However, after three consecutive errors from Anderson to bring it to deuce, it looked like the pressure to hold had gotten into his nerves as Sock got a set point with a huge inside-out forehand that Anderson couldn’t handle. After saving the set point to force another deuce, Sock kept the pressure on Anderson as he got another set point. This time, Sock capitalized the advantage as he hit a deep forehand second serve return that Anderson butchered and the American took the second set 6-4 in less than 40 minutes.
Anderson’s first serve percentage dipped to 60 after two sets while Sock improved his to 64 percent. The American played and served better in the set. He also minimized his errors, hitting only six in the set compared to Anderson, who hit 12 unforced errors. The quality of the South African’s game dipped compared to how he played well in the first set.
Sock Gets Elusive Break Late To Take The Match
In the third set, both players held comfortably, gave up no break points and used their serves to shorten rallies and win points easily. But, it’s noticeable how momentum has shifted from Anderson to the 23-year-old American. In the ninth game of the tight and intense third set, Sock hit back-to-back winners, a forehand down the line and an incredible backhand passing shot, to go up 30-0 early. However, Anderson responded with two crucial serves that Sock couldn’t put back in play to make it 30-all.
With a crucial point on the line, Sock hit another incredible backhand crosscourt passing shot to get a match point. It was the first break point in the set. Not going without a fight, Anderson with the kick serve that was too good forced deuce. But Sock made the South African play defense in the next two points that resulted to back to back errors as the American survived and won the three set match to advance in his first ASB Classic semifinal.
A look at the final match statistics, Anderson’s quality of play continued to dip in the third while Sock played better as the match went on. He put 62 percent of his first serves in play and won 79 percent of those first serves. He has five aces, nine winners, and 17 unforced errors in total which were lower than Anderson’s 23. This indicates how erratic Anderson played in the last two sets. The South African only put 59 percent of his first serves in play all throughout the match, but he won 83 percent of those first serves. He hit 15 aces, 18 winners in total.
What’s Next For Sock?
In his on-court interview, Sock said he felt great winning the match since Anderson came out serving well. “I knew it’s going to be tough, but I was able to get into a little bit of rhythm,” said Sock. “I was able to get a few more return points. He was holding comfortably for a set and a half.” He also acknowledged the crowd’s support that he said, helped him during the match. Sock will play top seed David Ferrer in the semifinals tomorrow.