Sock wins Paris Title, qualifies for 2017 ATP Finals

The American won in Paris – and booked his ticket to London.

Jack Sock captured the biggest title of his career on Sunday, winning the Paris Masters 1000 with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 victory over surprise finalist Filip Krajinovic. In doing so, he clinched the last spot in the 2017 ATP Finals, reserved for the eight players who have earned the most ATP World Tour ranking points this year. 

The others who qualified for the ATP Finals, hosted Nov. 12-19 at the O2 Arena in London, are Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Alex Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Marin Cilic, Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin.

The title was the third of the season (alongside Auckland and Delray Beach) for Sock and the fourth of his career (Houston in 2015). It also propelled him from No. 22 entering Paris and into the Top 10, establishing a new career high for the Nebraska native and ensuring he will finish the year as the top-ranked American man.

Also this year, Sock reached the semifinals at the Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells and the quarterfinals at the Masters 1000 in Miami.

“There have been a lot of firsts," Sock said on-court following his victory. "It started at the [2015] French Open with my first fourth round of a Slam, now I’ve won my first Masters 1000 in Paris, this will be my first time in the Top 10 and this will be the first time making the year-end [ATP] Finals. So there’s a lot going on right now emotionally, and I can't wait to enjoy it all with my team.”

It was an impressive week for Sock, who trailed Kyle Edmund, 5-1, in the third set of his opening match. But Sock rebounded to win that encounter in a third-set tiebreak and then eliminated No. 17 seed Lucas Pouille, Fernando Verdasco and Julien Benneteau to reach the title match.

"I'd be lying if I said that 18 months ago I was mentally prepared to win matches like this," Sock said after his title victory, according to atpworldtour.com. "It's something I've worked really hard toward. It's something that, if you put your nose down and keep fighting, good things will happen. Crazy things can happen. That's sports and that's why we play."

Sock is the first U.S. man to win a Masters 1000 title since Andy Roddick in Miami in 2010 and the first to win in Paris since Andre Agassi in 1999. He also is the first American to qualify for the ATP Finals since Mardy Fish in 2011.