Young's win propels US revival

 

Paul Newman
Monday 05 September 2011 00:00 BST
Comments
America's Donald Young salutes the crowd after knocking out Juan Ignacio Chela
America's Donald Young salutes the crowd after knocking out Juan Ignacio Chela (GETTY)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Donald Young's talent has been recognised ever since he became the youngest boy to finish a season as the world's top-ranked junior. Six years on, his potential is at last being realised.

Young's 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 victory here at the US Open last night over Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela took the 22-year-old American into the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. The world No 84 will next play the winner of last night's later match between Andy Murray and Feliciano Lopez. Young beat Murray in straight sets in his only previous meeting with the Scot in Indian Wells earlier this year.

Having entered the tournament with a wild card, the American beat Stanislas Wawrinka, the world No 14, in the second round and was too good for Chela, who is ranked 60 places above him. With Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish through to the fourth round and John Isner and Alex Bogomolov junior due to meet in the third round last night, the hosts will have four men in the last 16.

Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 champion, was regarded as a major threat in Murray's quarter of the draw – the Argentine and the Scot could have met in the last eight – but was knocked out by Gilles Simon. The Frenchman, whose best performance in a Grand Slam tournament was a run to the quarter-finals in Australia two years ago, won 4-6, 7-6, 6-2, 7-6 in a gruelling encounter that lasted nearly four hours.

Flavia Pennetta, who has never made the last eight of any other Grand Slam tournament, reached the quarter-finals here for the third time in the last four years despite suffering in the heat against China's Peng Shuai. Pennetta, who won 6-4, 7-6, will now play Germany's Angelique Kerber, the world No 92, who beat Romania's Monica Niculescu in straight sets.

Pennetta was dry retching when she was serving at 6-5 and 30-0 in the second set. The Italian, who knocked out Maria Sharapova in the third round, was cruelly given a code violation for taking too long between points and subsequently dropped her serve.

Peng led 6-2 in the tie-break, only for Pennetta to win six points in a row to secure victory after more than two and a half hours. "I was feeling really bad," Pennetta said. "I think it was because it's really humid today. It's hot. And also, when you are there, you have a lot of emotion in the court."

Singles results

US Open, Flushing Meadows, New York, Men's Singles Third Round: (5) D Ferrer (Sp) bt (26) F Mayer (Ger) 6-1 6-2 7-6; (21) A Roddick (US) bt J Benneteau (Fr) 6-1 6-4 7-6; G Muller (Lux) bt I Kunitsyn (Rus) 6-1 6-4 6-4; (2) R Nadal (Sp) bt D Nalbandian (Arg) 7-6 6-1 7-5; G Simon (Fr) bt (18) J M Del Potro (Arg) 4-6 7-6 (6-2 7-6; D Young (U.S.) beat (24) J I Chela (Arg) 7-5 6-4 6- .Saturday's results, Third Round: (1) N Djokovic (Serb) bt N Davydenko (Rus) 6-3 6-4 6-2; (8) M Fish (US) bt K Anderson (SA) 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 ; (11) J-W Tsonga (Fr) bt (19) F Verdasco (Sp) 6-3 7-5 6-4; (3) R Federer (Swit) bt (27) M Cilic (Croa) 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-2; J C Ferrero (Sp) bt (31) M Granollers (Sp) 6-1 4-3 ret (20) J Tipsarevic (Serb) bt (9) T Berdych (Cz Rep) 6-4 5-0 ret; J Monaco (Arg) bt T Haas (Ger) 6-7 6-3 6-2 6-3; (22) A Dolgopolov (Ukr) bt I Karlovic (Croa) 6-7 6-2 6-4 6-4.

Women's Singles Fourth Round: A Kerber (Ger) bt M Niculescu (Rom) 6-4 6-3; (26) F Pennetta (It) bt (13) S Peng (Chin) 6-4 7-6 (8-6). Third Round: (15) S Kuznetsova (Rus) bt A Amanmuradova (Uzb) 6-4 6-2; (10) A Petkovic (Ger) bt (18) R Vinci (It) 6-4 6-0; (1) C Wozniacki (Den) bt V King (US) 6-2 6-4; (28) S Williams (US) bt (4) V Azarenka (Bela) 6-1 7-6; (7) F Schiavone (It) bt C Scheepers (SA) 5-7 7-6 6-3; (16) A Ivanovic (Serb) bt S Stephens (US) 6-3 6-4; (17) A Pavly'kova (Rus) bt (11) J Jankovic (Serb) 6-4 6-4.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in