Juan Martin Del Potro is one win away from his first title in 2016, and he is also contesting his first final of the season. Standing in his way on Sunday in Stockholm is Jack Sock, who is coming off a tough three-setter against Alexander Zverev.
Juan Martin Del Potro and Jack Sock will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they battle for the If Stockholm Open title on Sunday. Their only previous encounter came earlier this season on the clay courts of Madrid, where Sock prevailed 6-4, 7-6(2).
Fast forward more than five months and Del Potro’s 2016 comeback has reached new heights. The 63rd-ranked Argentine won the silver medal at the Rio Olympics, made a quarterfinal run at the U.S. Open, and he has his country in the Davis Cup final. So far this week Del Potro has not surrendered a single set in victories over John Isner, Nicolas Almagro, Ivo Karlovic, and Grigor Dimitrov.
Sock, on the other hand, has survived a brutal road through the Stockholm draw. The sixth-seeded American outlasted Malek Jaziri 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), edged Dustin Brown 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4, took care of Gastao Elias in straight sets, and then avenged a recent Beijing loss to Alexander Zverev via a 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-4 decision. Sock needed two hours and 48 minutes to get past Zverev on Saturday. He is a stellar 33-18 for the year and coming off a recent quarterfinal performance in Shanghai.
Things could not have shaped up any better for Del Potro, who has conserved energy by storming through everything in his Stockholm path whereas his opponent has struggled. Additionally, Sock–who is just 1-3 lifetime in ATP finals–went all the way to the Shanghai doubles title with John Isner last week. So much recent tennis will likely come back to haunt Sock against a red-hot Del Potro.
Pick: Del Potro in 2
The post Stockholm final preview and prediction: Sock vs. Del Potro appeared first on The Grandstand.