This means, that usual doubles partners Sock and Pospisil will be fighting it out against each other for the bronze medal. Missing top singles player John Isner and the defending Olympic doubles champions, Bob and Mike Bryan, Johnson in particular has been a standout for the U.S. The mixed doubles tandem of Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram advanced to the semifinal round, and Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Jack Sock have quarterfinal match of their own later Friday.
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The Sock-Johnson tandem hadn’t dropped a set in Rio before losing 6-3 in the opening set on Thursday.
Later in the set, the Canadians were in a hole love-40 on serve, but fought off another three break points to take the game and stay on serve up 2-1. Sock and Johnson never faced a break point in the match and won 84 percent of the points in their service games. They also hit 26 winners.
This is Sock’s biggest doubles title since he and Pospisil won Wimbledon in 2014. They have thus secured the first Olympic medal ever for Romanian tennis and the second medal for Romania at the Rio Olympics.
“I’ll probably wear that medal a little bit tonight back at the (Olympic Village) apartment”, Sock added. “It will be displayed front and center in my home”.
American soccer team out: Taunted by local fans since the Olympics began and stinging from a surprising loss, Hope Solo called Sweden a “bunch of cowards”. The best team did not win today.
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“It’s unfortunate we couldn’t both maybe medal and finish the week strong”.
