Defending champion Jack Sock advances to quarters in Houston
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HOUSTON (AP) — Defending champion Jack Sock beat Australia’s Matthew Barton 6–2, 7–6 (5) on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals in the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship.
The fourth-seeded American won last year at River Oaks for his first ATP Tour title. He will face the winner of a match between seventh-seeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus and Fernando Verdasco of Spain.
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Third-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain also advanced, beating Lukas Lacko of Slovakia 7–6 (4), 6–1. Lopez will face Tim Smyczek, a 6–2, 6–4 winner over Donald Young in an all-American match.
Fellow Americans John Isner and Sam Querrey reached the quarterfinals Wednesday. The top-seeded Isner will face South Korea’s Chung Hyeon, and the fifth-seeded Sam Querrey will play Argentina’s Juan Monaco.
