Jack Sock finally assured the United States retention of their position in the elite of world tennis by defeating the tricky Denis Istomin in four sets, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
The American had started well, with clear distance between the twenty-two year old and a sluggish-looking Istomin. Sock broke in Istomin’s opening service game, and later broke again to seal the first set with ease.
The second set changed completely however, with Istomin suddenly pulling ahead by dominating the points on Sock’s second serve, Istomin managed to win six points in nine in that regard. This success resulted in him winning four straight games from two-all to level affairs in this match. The crowd were behind their man starting to believe in consecutive upset wins for their number one ranked player.
It did not happen for him in the third set, though it was more tightly contested than the opening two sets. Istomin had struggled to post a winning margin in first serve points won, and that trend returned in the third, with Sock winning half of these points, breaking twice. Though Istomin had twice the number of unforced errors compared to winners, he was able to retrieve one break but not two as Sock claimed the third set.
The fourth set followed a similar vein as Sock continued to pummel the Istomin first serve. Istomin actually won a higher percentage of points on second serve in sets one and four. The trend was ominous in that in set one this had resulted in the loss of the set, and it eventually proved the case again in this one. Sock broke and lead through the set, though Istomin finally managed to break at four-three to pull level. It did not last as Sock immediately earned the advantage back, dominating play from the baseline with his powerful forehand.
Istomin tried to repeat the heroics of his win over Steve Johnson, earning break points as his opponent served for the match, just as he had against the California native. These came about partly due to two untimely double-faults from Sock, who was pushing just a little two hard on second serve. Unlike his compatriot though, he saved the break points, and though Istomin continued to delay him with a few rounds of deuce, Sock completed his opening Davis Cup tie with a perfect two-for-two in his singles ties.
Sock’s win gave the United States an unassailable three-one lead in this a best of five tie. There are now options available. They may opt to play the final dead rubber, and they could play it as a best of five or three set match. They could also opt to play Donald Young instead of Steve Johnson, or they could just decide to end the tie here and return to normal ATP World Tour duties. It has been a disappointing Davis Cup this year for the United States, but they have at the very least achieved the minimum expectation of retaining their position in the World Group.