NEW YORK – As Marin Cilic’s forehand return sailed wide on match point Friday, giving American Jack Sock an upset win over the tournament’s No. 7 seed in straight sets, Sock’s first instinct wasn’t to scream, pump his fist or raise his arms. Instead, the 23-year-old quickly spun 90 degrees to his left, pointed his racket out straight, jabbed it forward and pretended to fence toward a man in the stands.
That spectator was his friend Miles Chamley-Watson, a U.S. Olympic fencer he met in Rio earlier this month.
“He was able to come out here today,” said Sock after the match.