Kevin Anderson and Jack Sock are back from various injury issues and they find themselves in the Newport quarterfinals on Thursday. In addition to the Anderson-Sock showdown, Alexander Bublik and Jason Jung are also in action.
(WC) Jack Sock vs. (8) Kevin Anderson
Anderson and Sock have turned back the clock to find some form and play their way into the Hall of Fame Open quarterfinals. Unsurprisingly, they have not faced each other since 2017–mainly because they have taken turns being away from the tournament since that point in time. Heading into Thursday’s contest, the head-to-head series is all tied up at two wins apiece.
This is Sock’s first main-tour appearance of the season and it is off to a strong start, with victories over Alex Bolt and Yoshihito Nishioka. Anderson booked his spot in the last eight by beating Ilya Marchenko and Sebastian Ofner in straight sets. This could obviously go either way with both guys question marks from a physical standpoint, but Sock has more momentum having also won a Challenger title last month. Anderson cannot be trusted to play three solid matches in a row at this point in his career.
Pick: Sock in 3
(1) Alexander Bublik vs. Jason Jung
When Bublik is interested, he is one of the most talented players on tour. And he should be motivated this week–especially with Jung on the other side of the set. Jung surprisingly leads the head-to-head series 2-0, so Bublik will be out for revenge. The in-form Kazakh will also recognize that this is a great opportunity for his first-ever ATP title as the top seed in Newport. Bublik finished runner-up in 2019 and his bid to go one step further began with a three-set defeat of Ivo Karlovic on Wednesday.
Jung outlasted Brayden Schnur 7-5, 6-7(1), 7-6(4) and then defeated Tennys Sadgren in much more routine 6-2, 6-2 fashion on Wednesday. The 163rd-ranked American had not won an ATP-level match since February of 2020 prior to this week. Assuming Bublik remains focused, this should not be especially competitive.
Pick: Bublik in 2
WWW?
Disappointing Tennys
I hope Sock can find his game and stick around. I like him, generally.
I see Tubs lost in quarters. Is that a double chin I can see…;)