Auckland R2 previews and picks: Sock vs. Pospisil, Isner vs. Querrey

Frequent doubles partners Jack Sock and Vasek Pospisil will face each other on Wednesday in Auckland. Occasional doubles partners John Isner and Sam Querrey are also aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.

Jack Sock vs. Vasek Pospisil

Sock and Pospisil will finally be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in round two of the ASB Classic on Wednesday. The two good friends have been a force on the doubles court throughout the past two seasons. They captured the 2014 Wimbledon title together and narrowly missed out on World Tour Finals berths in both 2014 and 2015.

Neither man ran into too much trouble booking a spot in this showdown, although Pospisil had to navigate a tough draw. The world No. 39 rebounded from an opening loss in Chennai at the hands of Aljaz Bedene to upset Ivo Karlovic 7-6(4), 7-5 on Monday. Sock spent last week mostly having fun at the Hopman Cup, but he clearly means business in Auckland. The 26th-ranked American kicked off his official 2016 campaign by destroying Victor Estrella Burgos 6-0, 6-4 in a mere 49 minutes. Pospisil is not too far behind in the rankings because he reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals last summer, but Sock has been far more consistent on the singles court. The Canadian may want to venture into the net on occasion because he cannot match his opponent’s firepower from the back of the court, but it will be hard for him to do so against the weight of Sock’s shots.

Pick: Sock in 3

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Sam Querrey vs. (3) John Isner

Isner and Querrey will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers on Wednesday. Querrey leads the head-to-head series 4-1, including 3-1 on hard courts. But they have faced each other only twice amidst Isner’s favorite conditions–outdoor hard courts–and they have split those meetings at one win apiece. Isner prevailed 7-6(3), 6-4 at the 2010 Indian Wells Masters before Querrey won a 2015 Cincinnati first-round clash via a 6-3,  7-6(3) decision. In the latter contest, however, Isner was hobbled by a knee injury and struggled to move from start to finish.

Querrey also benefited from an opponent’s misfortune on Tuesday in Auckland, as Bedene retired three games into the third set after blowing five match points in the second. Querrey led 6-7(5), 7-6(10), 2-1 when the Brit called it quits. The American is struggling down at No. 60 in the world–way behind Isner (11th), who was an alternate last season at the World Tour Finals. Isner is 12-2 lifetime at this tournament with two titles and no losses prior to the quarterfinals. All signs point to the No. 3 seed starting to turn the tide of his singles series against Querrey.

Pick: Isner in 2

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