Jack Sock is eliminated in second round at Australian Open

Jack Sock’s disappointments at Grand Slam tournaments continued Thursday.

Sock, who played at Blue Valley North, lost in straight sets to Lukas Rosol 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 in the second round of the Australian Open.

Playing in his 13th major, Sock has only advanced past the third round at a Grand Slam tournament once. He reached the fourth round at last year’s French Open.

Sock, the No. 25 seed, was one of eight American men to reach the second round in Melbourne, the most since 2008. But only two remain in the singles draw — No. 10 John Isner and No. 31 Steve Johnson.

Sock was battling a nagging ankle injury from the first round and a recent virus in his match against the unseeded Rosol. But it was Sock’s missed opportunities that cost him the match, failing to convert any of his 10 break-point opportunities.

“I had a bunch of great points I played in the first and second sets to try and get the lead, but I wasn’t able to capitalize, and I thought maybe that was the turning point where he was able to settle and I couldn’t,” Sock said.

“Rosol played some unbelievable tennis, he plays very flat and very aggressive, he can be up and down but today he was on top of his game the whole time.”

Sock, 23, was forced to retire during the second set of this year’s ATP final in Auckland due to illness, and since has struggled to regain full health.

“The illness was pretty unfortunate timing for myself coming into the Australian Open, I was disappointed I couldn’t be 100 per cent,” he said.

“But it’s not an excuse, because once I got out there I was feeling pretty good. Today was just his day.”

Rosol will play 2014 Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka, the fourth seed, in the third round. Wawrinka, who won the French Open last year, breezed to a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 win over Radek Stepanek.