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| Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography Copyright 2017 All Rights Reserved |
Copyright 2017 TexSport Publications
HOUSTON, TEXAS (April 13, 2017) In the headline match at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’sClay Court Championship on Thursday, April 13, 2017, it took No. 1 seed Jack Sock three sets to down 2004 champion Tommy Haas 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. The match, which was held on center court, saw Sock, who is ranked number 15 in the world, take the first set 6-4 before dropping the second set to the German 6-3. In the third set, Sock took a 4-1 lead with Haas moving the score to 5-3 before the 2015 champion closed the books on the match with a 6-3 score. The match lasted in one hour, 55 minutes.
The stats were fairly equal, with both players serving five
aces. Sock shot a bit better on first service, 65% to 62% and on second service
won, 58% to 55%. Haas had the edge on first service won 76% to 74%. Sock is now
12-3 in matches at River Oaks, in his fifth appearance on the Houston clay. In
2013, he was eliminated in the second round, while in 2014, he advanced to the
quarter finals. His championship title came in 2015 and dropped the final match
in 2016 to Juan Monaco 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
In previous head-to-head competition, Haas downed Sock
7-6(3), 6-2, 7-5 in the Round of 64 at in 2013 on clay at Roland Garros
(France). In 2014, Sock won the matchup on hard court, in the Round of 16 at
Auckland, New Zealand, in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. At 24-years-old, Sock is the
youngest No. 1 seed in the tournament since 23-year-old Andy Roddick was number
one in 2006. Haas, at 39-years-old, is the oldest US Clay singles participant
since 43-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1978. Haas, who announced this will be his
final season downed 19-year-old 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3 in the first round. Next up
for Sock will be the winner of the Feliciano Lopez (Spain) vs. Bjorn Fratangelo
(USA) match.
A slideshow from the match, by Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography can be wiewed by clicking here.
A slideshow from the match, by Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography can be wiewed by clicking here.
