North America

60 Second Interview @CitiOpen With Dynamic Doubles Duo @JackSock & @VasekPospisil

A couple of years back, I jokingly called Jack Sock an Atlanta rock star due to the reception he received there at the US Open Wildcard Playoffs after his US Open Mixed Doubles title with Melanie Oudin.

That was nothing compared to the way he and partner Vasek Pospisil have been received this summer in Newport, Atlanta & Washington after taking the Wimbledon title earlier this month.

I spoke with them and I didn’t mince words. These guys are busy.

Individually, they’re both respected in singles and loved by the fans in their home countries.

Together, they’re the North American Dynamic Doubles Duo.

‘PopSock’ has moved up the rankings to #7 in the world and hope to qualify for the ATP year-end championships.

They’re committed to playing together throughout the summer and hopefully all the way to the 2014 ATP World Tour Finals title.

I hope the North American Dynamic Doubles Duo take this show all the way to the title in London.

And I, for one, welcome our new Doubles Overlords.

—Stephan Fogleman, Tennis East Coast

N. American Women Roll in Roland Garros Warm-Ups: Bouchard, Puig Win 1st WTA Titles

US Fans, look just outside your back window to find the next great WTA stars.

Playing in her second career WTA final, Eugenie Bouchard captured her maiden singles title on Saturday thanks to a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Czech Karolina Pliskova at the WTA International Series event in Nurnberg, Germany.

Before the match, Bouchard was the highest ranked player behind only Sloane Stephens without a title and the 20-year-old Canadian was determined to change that stat. She need less than 30 minutes to win the first set 6-2, losing just four points on serve. Bouchard led 4-2 in the second set before Pliskova reeled off four straight games to force a decisive third set. There were five breaks of serve in the final frame with three going the way of Bouchard which allowed her to come away with the victory. She becomes the first Canadian to win a WTA singles titles since Aleksandra Wozniak, who was crowned champion in Stanford in 2008.

With the victory, Bouchard will reach a new career-high ranking on Monday. She will now travel to Roland-Garros where she will face Israel’s Shahar Peer in the first round.

Speaking of 20-year-old maiden champions, Monica Puig became the only Puerto Rican to win a women’s title, besting home court fave Silvia Soler-Espinosa of Spain, 6-4, 6-3 yesterday at the Strasbourg International final in France.

Puig dominated the match and is now 1-0 in WTA finals. Although Puerto Rico is US territory, Puig flies under the Boricuan flag and is intensely proud of her island heritage. Still, she’s every bit a North American as Genie Bouchard. She’ll come close to returning to her career-high ranking of #41 tommorow.

Puig opens with Samantha Stosur in the first round at Roland Garros.

—Compiled with report from Tennis Canada