Ferrer faces Sock in last four
WELLINGTON: David Ferrer provided the class while Jack Sock played on his name with a victory giveaway as the ATP Auckland Classic semi-finalists sorted themselves out yesterday.
Top seed Ferrer and No.2 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga moved into the final four with straight-set wins to join Sock and Roberto Bautista Agus who both took three sets to upset Kevin Anderson and John Isner respectively.
Sock recovered from a string of early unforced errors to beat Anderson 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 and celebrated the victory by starting what he says will become his win tradition: a sock giveaway.
“It feels great,” said the 23-year-old American who survived 14 aces by Anderson.
“He came out serving really well. He didn’t miss many first serves, didn’t let me get in the match.
“I knew it was going to be tough, but I was able to get in a little bit of a rhythm on returns and lucky enough to get a win.”
Sock, ranked 26th to Anderson’s 12, cutback on the error count after the disappointing first set and won the match on a service break and celebrated by throwing a sock into the crowd.
“I think with such a unique name that I have, we figured I might start a new tradition and give a sock away if I win,” he said.
“I did it real quick. I just turned around and threw it to some guy. I think I need to go out and play it up a little more, hold it up and see who wants it. Whoever wants a really sweaty sock can have it.”
Sock faces top seed Ferrer in the semifinals after the Spaniard whipped Czech Lukas Rosol 6-3, 6-4.
Bautista Agut, beaten by Isner in the Auckland semi-finals two years ago, turned the tables with a 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 victory over the third seed.
“I had revenge today,” said the Spaniard, who is ranked 25th, 14 places behind Isner.
Bautista Agut will play Tsonga in the semi-finals after the Frenchman’s 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) win over Fabio Fognini.
In Melbourne, Marcos Baghdatis warmed up for the Australian Open with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 win over Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu yesterday at the Kooyong Classic, a decade after reaching his only Grand Slam final.
In 2006, the smiling Cypriot generated excitement with his run to the title match at Melbourne Park, where he lost to Roger Federer playing at the peak of his powers.
Baghdatis, ranked 48 in the world, defeated Mathieu with 28 winners but broke on only one of his eight chances.
The Frenchman saved a match point in the penultimate game of the second set before Baghdatis finished off victory in the next game with a passing winner down the line.
“I felt much better today on court, more explosive. I moved better and served better. It’s good to get in two matches before the Open,” said Baghdatis.
In Sydney, rain prevented any singles matches being finished on a frustrating day at the Sydney International yesterday, leaving a stockpile of matches to be completed.
The four men’s quarter-final matches and the two women’s semi-finals were suspended until today after frequent fruitless attempts to get through the day’s programme.
Some of the men’s players will be doubling up today with Australian top seed Bernard Tomic starting the day against Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili.
Quarter-final winners will also have to play their semi-finals today, as the men’s final is scheduled for tomorrow.
When play was suspended due to rain, third seed and defending champion Viktor Troicki was locked at 2-2 in the first set against Nicolas Mahut, fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov was leading Alexandr Dolgopolov 4-6, 6-3, 4-2 and Gilles Muller had taken the first set 7-6 (7/5) against sixth seed Jeremy Chardy.
Tournament organisers attempted to complete both women’s semi-finals in the evening only for rain to again stymie proceedings.
Romania’s top seed Simona Halep was leading Svetlana Kuznetsova 5-4, while Puerto Rican qualifier Monica Puig had raced to a 4-0 lead over eighth seed Belinda Bencic before rain again intervened for the final time.
The women will return to the court today to complete their semi-finals ahead of the scheduled final that evening.