Jack Sock met Marin Cilic for the first time since their five-set epic in Davis Cup play. While that match featured an epic comeback and an abundance of drama, this US Open installment lasted just an hour an 41 minutes as Sock dismantled his Croatian opponent in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
Sock takes clean first set
Cilic served first and kicked the match off with a strong hold to 30. Responding to level the score at one-all proved to be an easy task for Sock, who held to 15. The match saw its first love hold in the third game when the Croat unleashed a quartet of big serves.
While the next three games went on without much drama, Sock finally saw the first break point of the match at 15-40. A clash of big forehands ended with Cilic hitting the next, thus giving up the break and the lead to his American opponent, 3-4. The 23-year-old continued his momentum to consolidate the break with a love hold--bringing the score to 5-3.
Serving to stay alive in the set, Cilic held at love, but he still needed to break to avoid going down a set early. An unreturned serve at 30-15 set up a pair of set points for Sock; the 26th seed double-faulted away the first, and slapped the second into the net. After staving off two more set points with two beautiful forehand volleys, the seventh seed finally cracked. Two straight unreturned serves were enough to let the set slip away as Sock took it, 6-4.
Cilic can’t pick up performance
The second set also began with a Cilic hold to 30. Sock, once again, set the tone early with a statement hold at love that ended with a 136 mph ace followed by a 121 mph ace. In the third game, Cilic was given an early scare; a break at love by Sock brought his run to eight points in a row.
That run finally ended after eleven straight when the 27-year-old Croat won his first return point of the set. The Ghost of Breaks Past loomed when Sock jumped out to a 0-30 lead, but Cilic elevated his play to win the next four points. Meanwhile, a break seemed like a distant memory for the world number nine; another hold at love from Sock gave him a 4-2 lead.
Cilic responded with his first love hold of the match, but he was still running out of time to break back. After another hold to 15, Sock lead 5-3--one game away from a two-set lead. The set would end sooner rather later; the American jumped out to a 0-40 lead with triple set point in tow. His seventh-seeded opponent would delay the end of the set for one point, but a double fault gifted a second break and the set, 6-3.
Abysmal play from Cilic throughout the second set spelled doom. Only 40 percent of his returns on first serves went back in play, and his winner to unforced error ratio was an atrocious one to five.
Sock advances without facing a break point
In the third set, it was Sock’s turn to open the set with a hold to 30. Cilic’s first service hold of the set showcased improved play with more of his shots hitting inside the court. The Croat was even able to get to 30-30--which is the closest he has come to a break point all match--in the next game; unfortunately for him, the next two points and the game would go the way of the American.
The next few games would proceed without much drama. However, Cilic was holding serve with relative ease, and he was actually winning points when playing the role of returner. After six games, the score was all knotted up at three-games1apiece.
After a timely love hold, Sock began running away with the match again; that was further solidified as a mishit forehand by Cilic at 15-30 brought in a pair of break points for his opponent. One break point was saved by a big serve, but the next might have been the nail in the coffin. By breaking to 30, Sock merely needed to hold serve, and he would be into the fourth round. That wouldn’t be too difficult of a task for the American as he held at 15 to knock off the 2014 US Open champion.
With a victory over Cilic, Sock will advance to the fourth round where he will meet Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, whom he lost to in their lone encounter last year in Madrid.