By Pat Mitsch
Before the tennis calendar changes seasons to clay, three Americans in particular made the most of their time left on hard courts until the summer.
Sam Querrey and Jack Sock each turned in strong results to merit Team USA Men's Player of the Month recognition.
To begin March, Querrey (pictured above) defeated four straight Top 20 players – No. 11 David Goffin, No. 9 Dominic Thiem, No. 17 Nick Kyrgios and No. 6 Rafael Nadal – to win his ninth ATP title in Acapulco, Mexico. Sock, meanwhile, performed the best of all the Americans at both ATP Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells, Calif., where he lost to Roger Federer in the semifinals, and in Miami, where he fell to Nadal in the quarterfinals. Sock also reached the Miami doubles final with compatriot Nicholas Monroe.
Venus Williams, meanwhile – the Team USA Women's Player of the Month – joined countrywoman Madison Keys in reaching the quarterfinals at Indian Wells and followed that with another quarterfinal showing in Miami.
Here are some other notable performances by Americans in March:
- Bradley Klahn won the doubles title, with countryman Connor Smith, and reached the singles final at the $25,000 Futures in Calabasas, Calif. Klahn returned to competition last fall after nearly two years away from the tour to recover from back surgery.
- A pair of teenagers notched big victories in Indian Wells: 19-year-old Taylor Fritz earned his first win over a Top-10 opponent, defeating former US Open champion Marin Cilic in the second round; 17-year-old Kayla Day, meanwhile, took down No. 30 Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in the second round before pushing No. 7 Garbine Muguruza – after whom Day’s dog is named – to three sets in the third.
- Christina McHale reached the singles semis in Acapulco.
- Sabrina Santamaria won the singles title at a $15,000 ITF Pro Circuit event in Heraklion, Greece.