The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Federer through with one to spare
Tennis: American overcomes off-court distractions to defeat Cilic in London
Jack Sock kept alive his hopes of reaching the ATP Finals knockout stages by beating Wimbledon runner-up Marin Cilic in a final-set tiebreak in London yesterday.
Cilic had thrown away a break in the decider to lose against Alexander Zverev on Sunday and he managed the same again at London’s O2 Arena as Sock fought back to win 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).
Sock said on court afterwards he was woken up at 4am on Tuesday by a fire alarm at his hotel but he showed little sign
“A fire alarm went off at 4am and we all had to exit our hotel”
of fatigue and now has his debut victory in this end-of-season tournament.
“That was a tough one,” Sock said. “It’s been an interesting morning, a fire alarm went off at 4am and we all had to exit our hotel, so it was a long morning.
“My coach growing up nicknamed me ‘showtime’ when I was young because I loved playing in front of people. There’s always a lot going on in my game. Even I don’t know what I’m going to do sometimes but it keeps it fun and I’m looking forward to the next one.”
Cilic, meanwhile, plays his last round-robin match against Federer, to whom he lost in the Wimbledon final this year.
The Croat was the chief aggressor in the opening frame and, after saving a Sock break point at 5-5, he converted his own to clinch the set. Sock whacked the ball away in frustration.
Sock, however, grew more assertive, attacking Cilic’s second serve, and he broke twice for a 4-1 lead then served out to level up.
But the 25-year-old’s momentum failed to carry through to the decider, where Cilic stormed into a 3-0 lead. Again, however, Sock came back, converting the second of two break points to pull even at 3-3.
Serve dominated the rest of the set but Cilic edged 4-2 up in the tiebreak when the ball struck the net chord and Sock failed to dig it over.
Again Sock hit back, however. Another Cilic shot clipped the tape but this time his opponent was alive to it and flicked it down the line.
Sock claimed five points in a row to set up two match points and he converted the first when a Cilic backhand floated long. Roger Federer struck a blow for his generation against the future by beating Alexander Zverev to book his place in the ATP Finals knockout stages.
Zverev, 20, showed London’s O2 Arena why he will surely become a star of tennis but Federer’s own time is far from finished yet and his class eventually told.
Sixteen years and 19 grand slam titles separate this pair but remarkably it was Federer’s legs that were fresher in the decider and, after two hours and 11 minutes, he had won 7-6 (8-6), 5-7, 6-1.
Zverev can still qualify if he beats American Jack Sock in the final group game, while Federer goes into his last group match against Marin Cilic with nothing at stake.
“I’m very excited about his future,” Federer said. “He’s a wonderful guy and is going to be a great player.”