BV North grad Jack Sock reaches U.S. Open quarterfinals in men’s doubles

Jack Sock has struggled in singles play after suffering an injury earlier this year, but he is suddenly having success in men’s doubles again with a longtime friend.

Sock and Jackson Withrow have advanced to the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York with three victories.

The latest win for the unseeded team was a 6-4, 7-5 triumph over seventh-seeded twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan on Monday. Up next for Sock and Withrow is a match against 15th seeded Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski on Wednesday.

Sock, a four-time state champion during his high school career at Blue Valley North from 2008-11, is still ranked 10th in the world as a doubles player but has seen his singles ranking drop to No. 178. Sock, 26, was once ranked as high as No. 8 in singles, but he missed more than six months of this season after tearing two ligaments in his thumb during practice for the Australian Open in January.

“I love playing doubles,” Sock said in an on-court interview following Monday’s match. “I have had some success in it in my career. I’m aiming to get back to where I was in singles. For those of you who don’t think I play singles anymore, I still do.”

Sock has dropped all three of his singles matches since returning to action, including a 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 loss to Pablo Cuevas in the first round of the U.S. Open last week.

On Monday, Sock gave his team a key break of serve against the Bryan brothers with a hard forehand shot for a winner and a 6-5 lead in the second set. Sock then held serve at love to end the match against the Bryans, who at age 41 were seeking their 17th major championship in men’s doubles.

”It’s never easy playing guys I have known as a kid,” Sock said. “They have been legends of the sport for a long time.”

Sock is trying to pull off a rare feat of winning a U.S. Open men’s doubles title with different partners. Sock teamed with Mike Bryan to win the title last year while Bob Bryan was sidelined following hip surgery.

Playing together is nothing new for Sock and Withrow, who are both Nebraska natives. Sock, who was born in Lincoln, and Withrow, a native of Omaha, have known each other and played together for many years. They first played together at the U.S. Open in 2011 after winning the USTA National 18 doubles title earlier that year, and Withrow said they have developed good instincts as a team.

”I know when to pick him up. He knows when to pick me up,” Withrow said. “I think the biggest thing we do is have fun. We enjoy crowds like this.”

Withrow, 26, entered the tournament ranked No. 106 in the world as a doubles player but should should see a jump following the U.S. Open. Withrow called making the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam event for the first time an “unreal experience.”

“Doing it with a guy like this who I have known since I was a kid is pretty special,” he said.

This story was originally published September 3, 2019 at 1:48 PM.