Donald Young is 22-year-old. By the time he was 16, many US fans believed that Young would be the next Pete Sampras or Andre Agassi. It’s been six years since he was one of the youngest players ever to hold the No. 1 spot as a ranked junior, but his transition into the pros has been filled with moments of utter disappointment and a constant sense of underachievement. Born in Chicago, on July 23, 1989, Young won the 2006 US Junior National Championship when Jesse Levine withdrew from the championship game because of food poisoning. These two players had also made it to the 2005 US Junior Nationals, but the outcome had been very different. Young had lost the first set, won the second, and was winning 5â€0 and serving for the match at 40â€15. They were already bringing in the table for the trophy presentation, when Levine ran off an astonishing 23 consecutive points, to defeat Young 7â€5 in the third set. Many believe that was a clear omen: Young had the serve and the left hand to dominate the game; but he lacked the confidence and mental toughness to win when it matters most. But finally, after receiving a standing ovation from the fans that had waited 6 years to see Young make it into the second week of any Grand Slam, the player took a second to savor it. Ranked 84th in the ATP world rankings, young had just defeated No. 24 seeded Juan Ignacio Chela 7-5, 6-4, 7-6. Young relied on his solid shot making ability and managed to stroke 46 winners. The 32 year-old Argentinean, Juan Ignacio Chela wasn't sharp at any part of the match and gave up 41 unforced errors. In the press conference it became evident how emotional and significant this win was for Donald Young. "It's been tough," Young said. "There have been times when I didn't want to pick up the racket, times when I couldn't watch TV because they were talking bad about me. I'm just really excited." Young and his handlers have been criticized plenty during his carreer. Many believed that he was pushed too hard too early, and that he had burned out before he was 20. Now it seems as if this might be the break he needs to get his game sharpened and push for an unexpected miracle: make it into the semis. He has the motivation and the talent: let’s not forget that on Friday he also outplayed No. 14-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka by 7â€6, 3â€6, 2â€6, 6â€3, 7â€6 in a 5 set tiebracker victory that lasted 4 hours and 21 minutes. Overall this has been quite a successful week for the American men in the US Open. With Andy Roddick straight-set victory over Julien Benneteau, No. 28 John Isner winning Sunday, and No. 8 Mardy Fish advancing Saturday, Donald Young is part of the first quartet of American men to reach the U.S. Open's fourth round since 2003. Stephen Lars is a prominent sports blogger and currently covers Tennis Grand Slam, previews and handicaps for the BetIAS' Sports Betting Blog. You may reprint this article in its full content, please note no modifications to it are accepted.
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