Blame a stinky Sock as the reason America🐲n men are done at the U.S. Open before Labor Day weekend even ended.
Jack Sock was the remaining home-count🍬ry representative, and he lost to No. 9 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a hard-hitting mat🌱ch at Louis Armstrong Stadium on Sunday afternoon, 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (7-9), 6-2.
Sock, seeded No. 26, was the last of four seeded American men in the single’s draw. He c꧋ompleted what was not an entirely unexpected, b꧒ut still another disappointing, performance in front of the home fans.
“I take pride in being the last one here,” the 23-year-old Sock said after his best career showing in a Grand Slam, making it to the fourth round while Tsonga goes on to the quarterfinals. “Obviously, I wanted to go out there and 𓆉keep 🉐it going for not only myself but for the U.S. as a whole. Unfortunately couldn’t do that.”
The top-seeded American was unheralded Steve Johnson, who was No. 19 and lost in straight sets to Juan Martin del Potro in the second round. John Isner, seeded🌜 No. 20, lost the third round to Kyle Edmund, while Sam Querrey, seeded No. 29, lost to Janko Tipsarevic in the first round.🧔 The most recent American to win the U.S. Open was Andy Roddick in 2003.
There are some young American men who are just getting their careers started, including 18-year-olds Taylor Fritz and Frꦺances Tiafoe. But the changing of the guard left this year🔯 as a letdown.
“I think the future ♐looks good,” Sock said of the rising Americans.ཧ “Promising players coming up playing very good tennis.”
Sock was the last one standing♛, and he was upset he couldn’t make it last any longer.
“I think as everyone knows, I love everything in this country and playing for them,” Sock said. “Hopefully in the future I can keep playing these second weeks, you kಞnow, representing tꦕhe best I can.”
Secoဣnd-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over 14th-seeded Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic. Kerber, the 2016 Australian Open champion, cruised through the first set without mꦑuch trouble, but had to battle Kvitova in the second set.
Kvitova, who won a bronze medal 💫at the Rio Olympics, lost the match on a double fault. Kerber, who last reached the U.S. Open semifinals in 201🎃1, will meet seventh seeded Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals.
“She’s better mentally most of the t😼ime and she moves wel♏l,” Kvitova said. “She always put pressure on the opponent.”
Gael Monfils joined Tsonga and 🍸Lucas Pouille as the three Frenchman to make it into the quarterfinals after Monfils beat Marco Baghdatis in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.
After battling a🌠 viral infection that kept him from his native French Open, Monfils was coming into this tournament as the No. 10 seed after winning on the hard court in Washington, D.C., in June.
Riding the🐓 good w𝓡aves from last year, Vinci continued her run, beating Lesia Tsurenko, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2. Vinci is the No. 7 seed after ending Serena Williams’ run to Grand Slam sweep last year in the semifinals. Vinci said she is dealing with some pain in a tendon in her left leg, as well as some back pain.
“It’s not easy to play with some injuries,” she said. “[Saturday] I🎀 practiced seven minutes; [Sunday] morning four minutes. Just warm up with my coach. It’s not easy to go on the court and play and don’t think that you have some problems.”
Doubles duo Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan needed three sets, but the Americans moved on with a third-round win over Spaniards David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. The Byran brothers have won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, including five U.S. Opens. The most recent win for🐻 them in Flushing came 2014.
Martina Hingis, the seven-time Grand Slam champion, continued her doubles ꦏrun 🌃with partner Coco Vandeweghe, advancing to the fourth round with a win over the Chinese duo of Yifan Xu and Saisai Zheng, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.