All is well in beautiful Paris, as the red-hot tennis action rolls on at the 2015 French Open. Rafael Nadal continues his dominance at the Grand Slam tournament with an easy victory over Andrey Kuznetsov in the third round this past Saturday. Waiting for him in the fourth round is Jack Sock, who was equally impressive with his straight sets victory over Borna Coric.
Can Nadal keep up his regained momentum and advance to the semifinals? Or can Sock play as the spoiler to end Nadal’s supremacy at the French Open? Continue reading below for a preview of what should be another intense battle at Roland Garros.
Don’t forget to also check out the women’s singles action at the French Open. Head on over here for our preview of the quarterfinals matchup between Ana Ivanovic and Elina Svitolina.
[sc:TennisArticles ]Rafael Nadal vs. Jack Sock Betting Preview
Where: Club de Paris, Paris
When: TBD
Line: Rafael Nadal (-2,000) vs. Jack Sock (+1,000) – view all French Open lines
Betting on Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal continues to prove doubters wrong with another outstanding performance at the French Open.
[sc:Other240banner ]Nadal dispatched his third round opponent Andrey Kuznetsov with a resounding 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 victory on Saturday. The Spaniard won 74 percent of his chances at points on net, and also converted on eight of his 14 break point opportunities against the 24-year old Russian.
In spite of having to deal with recurring injuries to his back and knees since last year that ultimately affected his current record and ranking for the season, Nadal continues to impress at his favorite event. He has an unprecedented record of nine titles in the past decade at Roland Garros, and has yet to lose a set in this year’s tournament.
Due to his relatively low sixth-seed berth, Nadal will likely go head-to-head against the world’s top-ranked tennis player Novak Djokovic in the semifinals round. But the 14-year veteran must first overcome another obstacle: a fourth round battle with Jack Sock.
The upcoming match will be the first meeting between Nadal and the young American. And if there’s one factor that tips in Rafa’s favor, it would be his unbelievable record on clay. The 28-year old has won 92 percent of all his career matches played on dirt, and only has one loss at the French Open and that was from way back in 2009. It’s no wonder then how he got his moniker as the “King of Clay”.
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Betting on Jack Sock
Jack Sock is not only playing with a lot of focus at the French Open, but he’s also doing it with a lot of heart.
The Nebraska native had a dominant 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 victory this past Saturday over 46th-ranked Borna Coric. Sock was in great command during the whole match as he won 88 percent of his points on first serve. He also limited the Croatian to just one break point attempt the entire match.
Sock is even playing some very inspired tennis as of late in the wake of some tragic news about his family. His brother, Eric, had just recovered from a rare disease earlier this year. And more recently, the 22-year old also received news that his grandfather is now battling with Alzheimer’s disease. Sock dedicates his entire performance at Roland Garros to his grandpa, and will have “4Ugpa” penned on his shoes as a tribute.
But it will take more than just heart to beat the “King of Clay” in the fourth round. Luckily for Sock, he’s also playing on his preferred type of turf. The righty is 13-8 on clay courts in his young career, where he has the best winning percentage amongst the other surfaces. His first career title that came in April earlier this season was also played on dirt at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston, Texas.
“Clay is my favourite surface,” said Sock about his first career title win in Houston. “It feels surreal. It feels incredible, and to have friends and family here to share it with me feels even better.”
Sock’s vicious forehand has been compared favorably to his next opponent, and he’ll need it to be right on point to dethrone the King. Sock unleashed 67 winners in his four-set win over Pablo Carreno Busta in the round of 64. He must also be careful not to go and beat himself. He committed a whopping 78 unforced errors against Carreno Busta, well over half the total from his other two matches (35).
Writer’s Prediction
Despite a spirited effort, Nadal (-2,000) proves to be too much for Sock to handle. Rafa with the victory in straight sets.
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