PARIS -- Jack Sock is already a two-time Grand Slam champion, but those titles came in men's doubles and mixed doubles.
The 22-year-old from Lincoln, Nebraska, would like to make an impression in the more visible venue of singles. Tuesday, he took a formidable step in that direction, beating No. 10 seed Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (7), 6-2, 6-3.
Sock drilled a massive forehand (off his back foot, no less) to close out the match, and if this French flair continues, they might start calling him Jacques Sock.
His career record at Roland Garros is now a sporty 4-2 and this was his first victory in a Grand Slam against a player ranked among the top 20. Dimitrov may want to check with his doctor concerning allergies to clay; he's spotty 3-5 at the French Open.
"Can I play better than that?" Sock asked himself afterward. "Yeah, I think there is always room for improvement. Yeah, today was a great match for me. Things that I look to do well when I'm playing my matches I thought I did very well today: serving, forehand. Obviously most people know the things I look for the most."
No. 16 seed John Isner was also a straight-sets 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 winner against Andreas Seppi.
Those results were welcome for fans of American tennis, but contrary to the generally lackluster state of the U.S. players' game here in France. Some 24 players -- 17 women and seven men -- began the tournament in the two main draws. Now, after the three-day process of completing the first round is finished, there are only seven Americans left.
Still, that was an upgrade after only two got through the first two days. Steve Johnson was the lone American to triumph on Day 1, and he was followed into the second round by Sloane Stephens on Monday.
Tuesday, they were joined by Isner and Sock, as well as No. 1 seed Serena Williams, who had an easy time (6-2, 6-3) with Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic. Perhaps more impressive, she answered questions in her on-court interview in a more-than-credible French.
No. 16 seed Madison Keys, who beat compatriot Varvara Lepchenko, 7-6 (3) , 6-3, and Irina Falconi, a 6-2, 6-0 winner over Manon Arcangioli.
There is a perception that American's don't perform well on clay because they are primarily attack players who lack the requisite patience to construct proper points. Isner refutes that notion.
"A lot is said about clay and how it's a defensive surface," Isner said in his postmatch news conference. "It's sort of I would say a misconception. I think clay is a very good attacking surface. A guy like Rafa, yeah, he plays great defense, but knocks the cover off the ball. He is greatest clay-court player of all-time.
"Me, on top of that, I'm a completely different animal than anyone. My serve is going to play no matter what the surface is and going to keep me in the match. So I'm comfortable on clay. I've played pretty well over here in Europe, which is nice."
According to Sock, clay has always been his favorite surface.
"I think this just suits my game very well," Sock said. "Like I said, serve, forehand, I think it really complements those shots well for me. Serve is able to get up, forehand gets up, and it slows it down a little bit where I'm able to take my time and kind of maneuver the ball around.
"Movement is another big part of my game. I feel like on the clay get to a lot of balls, I can touch a lot of balls in the balls, which sometimes can frustrate guys when you get to one extra. Sometimes that can change a match."
On Tuesday, Dimtrov discovered that unhappy truth.