ATP Atlanta: Nick Kyrgios, Jack Sock suffer surprise defeat in doubles

Australia's Nick Kyrgios and his American partner Jack Sock have suffered a defeat at the Atlanta Open. 

Kyrgios and Sock, who were playing together for the first time since 2019, lost to Steve Johnson and Jordan Thompson in the Atlanta Open quarterfinal. 

USA's Johnson and Thompson delivered a strong performance, beating Kyrgios and Sock 6-3 6-4 to reach the Atlanta semifinal.

Kyrgios and Sock had two break points in the opening game but failed to convert. 

Johnson and Thompson failed to convert their first break point in the sixth game but they earned the first break of the match two games later to take a 5-3 in the lead. 

After earning the first break of the match, Johnson and Thompson routinely served out for the opener.

Kyrgios and Sock then saved two break points in the opening game of the second set but dropped their serve in the ninth game. 

After taking a 5-4 lead, Johnson and Thompson had no problems serving out for the match. 

Kyrgios and Sock reunited in Atlanta 

“We’ve played together a bunch before and we’re close friends,” Sock told the ATP website earlier this week. “I actually haven’t seen him in about 18 months since the pandemic hit. We actually all had dinner in Indian Wells right before they announced the whole Tour – and the whole world, really – was shutting down. We all had dinner there, and then we all flew to our separate homes the next day. That was the last time we saw each other. “But I knew he was playing here, and this was the first tournament that we actually played together since that time. I figured we’d lace them up and see what happens."

Kyrgios and Sock also played in the singles event and both suffered defeats in the round-of-16. 

"It's very nice to be back here in Atlanta," Cameron Norrie said after beating Kyrgios in the round-of-16.. "It's good to have Nick back... really enjoyed the match and really happy with my level."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3zWkHCp