Juan Monaco completed his dream run in Houston with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, win over defending champion Jack Sock in the final of the U.S Men’s Clay Court Championships.
The final was anything but straightforward for Monaco. After dropping the opening set, he received a medical time-out for some attention on his back. The time-out allowed the Argentine to regroup as he became the dominant force on the court against an erratic Sock, who produced blistering forehand winners as well as some poor errors throughout the match. Monaco also had the problem of dealing with an ill Sock, who was constantly cramping during the third set and received a medical time-out for treatment on his shoulder/neck. In what was a test of both mental and physical strength for both men, Monaco grabbed the victory after two hours and 19 minutes of play.
Nine months ago Monaco was unsure if he would even play on the ATP Tour this year after injuring his right wrist during the first round of the Kitzbuhel Open. According to La Nacion, the Argentine sent a whatsapp message saying ‘today I played the last game of my life’ shortly after his August injury. Fortunately the prognosis of his wrist wasn’t fatal to his career as he underwent surgery during his six-month absence from the tour.
Since returning to the tour at the Argentina Open in February, Monaco has won only two matches in his first four tournaments prior to his shock run to his second Houston title. At the American clay court tournament, the 32-year-old defeated four out of the top-five seeds to seal his first title since 2014.
“It’s amazing holding the trophy again in only my fourth tournament that I play after three years (without a title),” Monaco said.
“It’s almost like a dream come true for it to happen so fast. The hard work really paid off.”
Describing his fight against against Sock as ‘a quick movie of his life’, Monaco squandered a 4-1 lead in the final set before clinching the 7-5 victory over a sick Sock.
“This is the way I feel the tennis, the way I (was) born playing tennis, playing on the clay and fighting to the last ball. Today was a quick movie of my life,” the 32-year-old said.
The title has elevated Monaco to 86th in the rankings, placing him in line for an automatic qualifying spot for his 13th consecutive French Open tournament.
Juan Monaco Quick Facts
Age:32
Nickname: Pico
Ranking Best: 10th (23/7/2012)
ATP titles: 9
Best Grand Slam performance: Fourth round on multiple occasions – US Open twice (2007 and 2011) and French Open twice (2007 and 2012)
Best Masters results: Two-time semifinalist (Shanghai 2010 and Miami 2012).
