Atlanta R2 previews and predictions: Isner vs. Sock, Paire vs. Ruusuvuori

It will be an all-American affair between John Isner and Jack Sock when they battle for a quarterfinal spot in Atlanta on Thursday. Second-round action also includes a showdown between Benoit Paire and Emil Ruusuvuori.

(6) John Isner vs. (WC) Jack Sock

Isner and Sock will be facing each other for the ninth time in their careers when they clash in round two of the Truist Atlanta Open on Thursday. The head-to-head series stands at 8-5 in favor of Isner, who won their only previous Atlanta encounter 7-5, 6-4 in the 2014 semifinals. They last met on the indoor hard courts of Paris in 2017, when Isner got the job done 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-4.

As Sock knows from first-hand experience, Atlanta is the last place anyone would want to see Isner on the other side of the net. In 10 previous installments of this event he has reached the final eight times and won five titles. Isner improved to 32-5 lifetime here after beating J.J. Wolf 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-4 in round one. Struggling with injuries, Sock is ranked outside of the top 100 and had not played a hard-court match on the main tour since the 2020 U.S. Open prior to this week. The world No. 201 managed to outlast Ricardas Berankis 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5 in two hours and 49 minutes on Tuesday night. With Sock still rusty and Isner playing on what is basically his favorite court, you have to go with the No. 6 seed.

Pick: Isner in 2

Emil Ruusuvuori vs. Benoit Paire

Winning matches has been a rarity for Paire in 2021, but he is looking at least somewhat motivated in Atlanta. The 49th-ranked Frenchman, who entered this week with a 6-19 record for the year, held off Yasutaka Uchiyama 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-4 on Tuesday. He also won his first-round doubles match on Wednesday, teaming up with Treat Huey.

Still, you never know what you are going to get from Paire on any given day and Ruusuvuori represents a considerable step up in competition from Uchiyama. The 22-year-old Finn has earned exactly half of his 22 career main-tour match victories in 2021, including a 7-6(3), 7-5 defeat of Mackenzie McDonald on Tuesday. Asking Paire to string together two respectable performances back-to-back is probably too much, especially with Ruusuvuori in fine form.

Pick: Ruusuvuori in 2