Sock Keeps London Dreams Alive

Jack Sock’s dreams of London are still alive.

The American’s chances of qualifying for his first Nitto ATP Finals looked bleak at the beginning of the week, when he was 24th in the Emirates ATP Race To London. But after fending off a tough challenge from the in-form Fernando Verdasco, 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the semi-finals of the Rolex Paris Masters, Sock is within two wins of becoming the final player to qualify for the year-end finale.

It is the second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final of the 25-year-old’s career, with the first coming earlier this year at Indian Wells. But perhaps more importantly, Sock has a realistic chance at soaring up the Race standings to become one of the more unlikely Nitto ATP Finals qualifiers in recent memory.

If Sock claims the trophy in Paris, he will overtake Pablo Carreno Busta for the eighth and final spot in London. The only other contender is Sock’s friend and compatriot, John Isner, who plays qualifier Filip Krajinovic in one of Saturday’s semi-finals. If Isner wins the tournament, he will be the final qualifier to book his spot at The O2 from 12-19 November.

It was not easy to get through Verdasco, whose big left-handed forehand gave Sock all kinds of fits in the final match of the day on Court Central. In the deciding set, the Spaniard earned a break point in the first game to gain the advantage, but Sock hung on and broke in the very next game to earn a lead he would not relinquish. While Verdasco battled, saving four match points on his serve at 2-5, the American closed out the match without complications, capturing the win on his fifth match point.

It will not get any easier for Sock, who next will deal with home favourite Julien Benneteau, who also is playing in his second Masters 1000 semi-final. The Frenchman won the only previous match in the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry, taking down Sock three years ago in Shanghai. He is certainly in good form, having defeated third-seeded Marin Cilic in the quarter-finals.

It has been a roller coaster of a week for Sock, who trailed Kyle Edmund 1-5 in the third set of his first-round match. From being out of the tournament and moving onto 2018, Sock now has the biggest opportunity of his career.

If the Nebraskan does manage to earn his first Masters 1000 trophy, which would be his third title of the year, he will also earn a new career-high ranking inside the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings.

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