Steve Johnson knocks out Jack Sock in the 1st round – Charlottesville Challenger 2011
American qualifier Steve Johnson sent compatriot Jack Sock to the lockers in the first round of the Charlottesville Challenger 2011.
The two duelled racquets on indoor hard courts of the Boar’s Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Virginia. After simply one hour and fifty minutes, Qualifier Johnson ousted the wildcard entrant, Sock in straight sets of 7-6(5), 6-4 on Tuesday the 1st of
November 2011.
The first round of the match was initiated by wildcard entrant Sock and he was unable to battle through the deuces and eventually double faulted on his second serve. On the contrary, Johnson squandered two consecutive games to comfortably place himself on
the scoreboard with a mini lead of 2-0. From there onwards, the players matched a blow for a blow and bagged two games each on their respective serves to rotate the scoreboard at 4-2.
By the end of the sixth game, Johnson was leading the set with a break and serve. However, Sock managed to bring the score to a tie at four games each by the end of the eighth game with a hold of serve and break. As once more the players held their serves,
the set was shoved into a tiebreaker at the end of the twelfth game.
The head-to-head run carried will into the tiebreaker and once more the score was tied at two points each, then at three points each and finally with a series of breaks and holds, the last time it toed was at five points each. However, in the following two
points, Johnson breezed past his adversary to clinch the tiebreaker at 7-5.
The second set of the match was initiated by Johnson and both the challengers held their respective serves to place themselves on the scoreboard at 1-1. However, in the third game Johnson double faulted and let his adversary take the edge. Sock then took
the lead by the end of the fourth game with a break and hold of serve.
In the following two games the players once more held their serves but Sock was leading the set with a 4-2 score. Nevertheless, Johnson was not ready to throw the gauntlet and made a return by holding his serve in the seventh game and then he capitalized
on a lucky break in the eighth game and tied the score at 4-4.
During the last two games Johnson first smashed a marvellous backhand winner to bag the ninth game and as his Russian opponent erred, Johnson stole the set and the match with a 6-4 victory.
Moreover, Johnson managed to reserve a spot in the second round of the event where he will be facing second seeded compatriot Michael Russell.
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