See how Sock stacks up with past and present U.S. stars

Over the past few years, Jack Sock lost some heartbreakers against Milos Raonic, but he finally snapped his losing streak against the Canadian, topping him in a third-set tiebreaker in Shanghai in the third round (after saving two match points).

That win also marked a milestone for Sock as he advanced to the quarterfinals of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event for the first time, becoming the latest American to pull off the feat. (He would nearly reach the semifinal, falling to Gilles Simon, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5).)

Here’s how the 24-year-old stacks up against some of his compatriots and their first time in the “Elite Eight” at the Masters level.

Tournament: Miami, 2001

That year was a busy year for Pete Sampras as far as torch-passing goes. Before his loss at Wimbledon that year to Roger Federer, he was on the losing end of a matchup with 18-year-old American (and future world No. 1) Andy Roddick in the third round in Miami. Roddick won his next match, before losing to Lleyton Hewitt in the quarterfinals.

Tournament: Rome, 2002

With his aggressive mind-set, you’d be hard-pressed to pick the red clay in Europe as ideal conditions for 22-year-old James Blake to make his breakthrough. However, the young American beat some savvy clay-courters in Younes El Aynaoui, Andrea Gaudenzi and Fernando Gonzalez, before veteran Jiri Novak stopped his run.

Tournament: Paris, 2011

John Isner’s pro accomplishments might look like they came on the later side due to his time playing college ball, but they do measure up when compared with his peers. At the age of 26 he made his quarterfinal Masters debut in 2011, and took it a step further to the semifinals. Along the way, he beat Stan Wawrinka, Feliciano Lopez and David Ferrer.

Tournament: Cincinnati, 2003

Quarterfinals? Why stop there? A 21-year-old Mardy Fish made it all the way to the final. The draw he faced was full of former Top 10 players like Mark Philippoussis, Arnaud Clement, David Nalbandian and Rainer Schuttler. Waiting for him in the finals was former roommate Roddick, who stopped his buddy’s run—barely—in a third-set tiebreak.

Tournament: Cincinnati, 2007

A 19-year-old Sam Querrey definitely got his career started on the fast track, and looked like “the next big thing” shortly after turning pro. In Cincinnati in 2007, Querrey was given a wild card into the tournament and made the most of it. He beat Mikhail Youzhny and Juan Monaco on his way to the quarters, but dropped that match to James Blake. Querrey made his top-50 debut after the tournament.

Tournament: Cincinnati, 2016

It had already been a season of firsts for Johnson before the summer hard-court swing: first career singles title won and first round of 16 showing at a major (Wimbledon). Why not add in a debut Masters quarterfinal appearance? Johnson did exactly that with his final-eight showing in Cincinnati, defeating the always-dangerous Jo-Wilfried Tsonga along the way. And there was one more "first" after that win over Tsonga: Johnson became the top-ranked American.