Tennis: Will Jack Sock be able to handle the pressure of the Masters 1000 final?
Filip Krajinovic hit the jack-pot when Rafael Nadal withdrew from their quarterfinals. However, Filip made the most of the opportunity by beating, John Isner, a formidable opponent in the semi-finals. John Isner had played some powerful tennis to beat Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarterfinals.
Who is Filip Krajinovic?
Philip is not a newbie in the world of pro-tennis, he turned pro in 2008 and has an ATP win-loss record of 17-31, without a title to his credit. He was seventy-seven in the ATP rankings prior to the start of the Paris Masters 1000 and will be ranked fifty, or better, in the revised rankings next week.
In the 2010 Serbia Open, he led Novak Djokovic, who was ranked number 2 in the world then, 1-0 when Djokovic retired in the second set. In 2017 he won five Challenger tour title, all on clay, and qualified for his first Masters 1000 in Paris, Bercy. His road to the semi-finals included wins over seasoned players like Sam Querrey in the 2nd and Nicolas Mahut in the pre-quarters. Filip’s career earnings are a little over $800,000 and, if he wins, he stands to gain more than that from this tournament alone.
However, it is one thing to play with carefree abandon with nothing to lose, however, an entirely different ball-game with high stakes. Can Filip Krajinovic continue playing with the same unflappable cool in the finals when he probably believes, at least as much as Jack Stock, that he has a shot at winning not only his first Masters but also ATP title?
Will Jack Sock be able to handle the pressure?
Jack Sock, on the other hand, is a known entity on the ATP tour. He is a fast mover on the court and can whip that big forehand, and crank that serve when required. He has won three ATP tour titles, with two of those in 2017, since turning pro in 2011 and a career-high ranking of 14 in April this year. Jack is having his best year with a win-loss record of 31-19 this year. Sock has come a long way in Paris. From 1-5 down to Kyle Edmund in the third set of the first round, to reach the finals by fending off a rejuvenated Fernando Verdasco in three sets, in the semi-final. He has a great shot at winning his first Masters 1000 title here and, as the favorite to win the finals and thereby make the 2017 World Tour Finals in London, perhaps a little more to lose than Filip Krajinovic.
Outcome: Jack Sock over Filip Krajinovic in three sets.