By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, May 29, 2018
On a day of mixed American results, John Isner and Steve Johnson powered through, while Jack Sock and Ryan Harrison crashed out of Paris.
Photo credit: @Roland Garros
Roland Garros has reduced American men to red, white and bruised in recent years.
No. 9-seeded John Isner and Steve Johnson punched through straight-sets wins, while compatriots Jack Sock and Ryan Harrison were both knocked out in the French Open first round.
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In an all-American opener, Isner pounded 28 aces and denied both break points he faced powering past wild card Noah Rubin, 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (7), into the second round for the eighth time in nine Roland Garros appearances.
The Miami Open champion posted his 12th win in his last 16 matches.
Johnson subdued 25th-seeded Frenchman Adrian Mannarino and French fans, 7-6 (1), 6-2, 6-2, setting up a second-round duel with big-serving German Jan-Lennard Struff.
The 28-year-old Johnson, who is playing doubles with Sock, and Isner joined compatriots Sam Querrey and Jared Donaldson in the second round.
Isner has twice reached the round of 16 in Paris, where he has a bit more time on return. That didn't exactly spike his break-point converion rate today: Isner cashed in on only one of 11 break-point chances.
Still, the man who knocked off Juan Martin del Potro and Alexander Zverev en route to the Miami title believes he can be a force in Paris.
"If I keep my head like I did today and have that same attitude and calmness on the court like I did in Miami, I do think I can do pretty well here," Isner said. "I'm not scared of anyone in the draw, but I know that I can lose to anyone if I'm not doing the right things. There's no doubt about that.
"Anyone in this tournament can beat me. But I do think if I'm doing the right things I can be a handful."
Next up for Isner is Argentine left-hander Horacio Zeballos, a 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2 victor over Yuichi Sugita.
Isner has won all three prior clay-court meetings with Zeballos, who owns a rare distinction as one of a few men to defeat Rafael Nadal in a clay-court final. The then fifth-ranked Spaniard was returning from injury when Zeballos stunned him in the 2013 Viña del Mar final.
Jack Sock peaked in Paris winning the Paris Indoors last fall, but bottomed out today.
Sock spent time questioning calls, calling the chair umpire "atrocious" at one point and imploding over the final stages of a 6-7 (4), 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 defeat to lucky loser Jurgen Zopp.
The 14th-seeded Sock fell to 5-11 on the season, including a 2-5 mark on clay.
Dirt should be a Sock stomping ground, but he crashed out of the French Open first round for the second straight year. Sock, who won the 2015 Houston title on red clay, has failed to survive the Roland Garros third round in five of six appearances.
Sock is at his best using the heavy kick serve to create space for his jolting forehand. Clay gives the Paris Indoor champion time to run around his weaker backhand wing and bang his crackling topspin forehand with damaging intent. But Sock succumbed to stress and the steadier Zopp.
French Open doubles champion Harrison committed 43 unforced errors and dropped serve eight times in a 6-1, 6-3, 7-5, loss to German Maximilian Marterer.