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Jack Sock: Acapulco loss, early 2018 struggles continue

By Harry Floyd

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JANUARY 10: Jack Sock of USA reacts to a call in his second round match against Peter Gojowczyk of Germany during day three of the ASB Men's Classic at ASB Tennis Centre on January 10, 2018 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JANUARY 10: Jack Sock of USA reacts to a call in his second round match against Peter Gojowczyk of Germany during day three of the ASB Men's Classic at ASB Tennis Centre on January 10, 2018 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images) /
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American tennis star Jack Sock sees yet another early round exit. At the 2018 Mexican Open, Sock is out after his opening match.

Jack Sock drops his opening round match at the 2018 Mexican Open. The American came into Acapulco as the fourth seed. With Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal due to injury, Sock immediately became a top contender for the title this week.

That, however, is no longer the case as the young American tennis star falls to qualifier Ernesto Escobedo in straight sets. Escobedo takes his meeting with Sock in two sets. The younger American qualifier prevails and defeats Sock 7-5, 7-6 (3).

The loss is troubling for Sock right now. Sitting in the current world No. 10 ranking, he may slide out of the ATP Top 10 come next week. Sock has struggled throughout the first two months of the 2018 ATP World Tour.

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After going 1-1 at the Delray Beach Open, Jack Sock was in need of a strong performance at the 2018 Mexican Open.

Sock isn’t the only American men’s tennis player off to a slow start in 2018. American veteran John Isner is also struggling as of late. He too sees an opening round loss at the Mexican Open, dropping his match to Ryan Harrison. Seventh seeded Sam Querrey is also out of the action this week. The younger and less experienced Americans are pulling off upsets over their fellow countrymen in Acapulco. Querrey fought hard, but ultimately dropped a three set match to Australia’s Matthew Ebden during his opener.

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Jack Sock needs to find himself in the coming weeks. If he hopes to be a top 10 player on the ATP World Tour, the 25-year-old American must prove that he deserves to be atop the rankings in men’s singles. With several players all within just hundreds of points of one another, the rankings are sure to see numerous changes with upcoming tournaments. Sock’s upset and Nadal’s withdrawal from the Mexican Open also opens up the chances for a new or unexpected champion in men’s singles this week. Stay tuned to see how the action in Acapulco unfolds in the early rounds and check back to see if Sock can bounce back in his next ATP tournament.

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