Sock sizzling, Djokovic through at US Open

Three former champions of the men’s singles being housed the program of the fifth day of the US Open activities Friday, but one of them could not cross the third round.

The 27-year-old thrashed giant-killer Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 to reach the third round at Flushing Meadows once again.

Sock, ranked No. 26, bested Cilic in aces (seven to six), first-serve win percentage (86 percent to 74) and winners (25 to 23).

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic and Spaniard Arantxa Parra Santonja have been beaten by the Chinese 11th seeds Saisai Zheng and Yifan Xu 6-3 7-6 (5) in the second round of the women’s doubles.

Cilic and Sock have faced each other once on a hard court, and it was in the United States on July in a quarterfinal Davis Cup tie between Croatia and the United States played just following Wimbledon.

American Jack Sock sent Marin Cilic crashing out of the U.S. Open in the third round Friday, defeating the 2014 champion, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, at Louis Armstrong Stadium. The crowd makes me want to side with Sock, as insane things happen in this tournament.

Cilic came to NY having won his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati, where he beat Andy Murray in the final.

Jack Sock, of the United States, serves to Marin Cilic, of Croatia, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, in NY. “I think I’m putting things together better and better”. “I definitely feel more confident out there in everything I’m doing”.

Nadal was troubled only by his six double-faults during a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory over 47th-ranked Andrey Kuznetsov of Russian Federation on Friday night and has won all nine sets he’s played this week.

[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 4-2 Ret.

Against Cilic, who followed up his title with a semifinal appearance a year ago, Sock won all 14 of his service games, never facing so much as one break point. The first was previous year, when he became first American to get to the fourth round of the French Open since Pete Sampras in 1993.

“It’s not great, for neither players nor the fans”, said Djokovic, who went back out on court in Arthur Ashe Stadium for an hour’s practice session with coach Boris Becker after the abrupt ending to Friday’s contest.

Djokovic took advantage of a prolonged rest, since the Czech Jiri Vesely, he had to face in the second round Wednesday had to withdraw because of inflammation in his left arm. “Yeah, so if he’s in the box on the next one and I’m able to win, you might see a cleaned up technique and better version of it”.

Tsurenko, the world 99, made the last 16 at a Slam for the first time by beating 12th seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

“My goal is to be competing to win tournaments that I’m playing instead of just (being) content with making a quarter”, Sock said.