Donald Young has Fought a Good Fight

Benoit Paire's ousting of #4 seed Kei Nishikori grabbed most of the headlines pertaining to first round upsets at the 2015 U.S. Open, and rightfully so, as Nishikori is a superstar of the game who reached the '14 final.  26 year-old American veteran Donald Young's defeat of #11 seed Gilles Simon may have packed a bigger punch, though.  In five previous encounters with the indefatigable Frenchman, Young had never even secured a set, much less a win.  True to form, Simon ran through the first two sets with relative ease, and the sweep seemed all but a formality.

You know, like the way tennis fame and fortune were once supposed to be a formality for Donald Young?  Mr. All-Everything as a junior - Young won the Aussie and Wimbledon Boys titles, along with the Orange and Easter Bowls, Kalamazoo, and, well, you name it - DY's prowess elicited great expectations and bold predictions.  He was certain to be the next great American male player.  For a variety of reasons, it hasn't quite worked out that way.  Young has endured a bumpy, very well documented professional ride since beginning to play for pay in 2004.  Key word, there, though: endured.  

Twelve years later, Donald Young is still here, still putting in work, still chasing that fuzzy yellow ball around on a surface meant for an automobile, and still sweating bullets under that loathsome heat and humidity. And he's done things - accomplished things - as a tennis professional that don't get done or accomplished without extreme effort, discipline, and desire.  Two weeks ago, he beat Thomas Berdych to reach the round of 16 in Montreal's Masters 1000 event.  Back in March, he represented the U.S. in Davis Cup play and took a set off Andy Murray in Glasgow.  Going back to February, Young lost a 3-set SF to Kevin Anderson after making a nice run in Memphis, and the following week in Delray Beach, Donald Young reached his first ATP final before falling to Ivo Karlovic.

And, yes, on Tuesday, in front of a raucous crowd out on Court 17 of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, DY came from two sets down to topple Gilles Simon, 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.  The result marks Young's first win while overcoming a two-set deficit, and bears further proof that the man can endure.  Donald Young has fought a good fight, and he'll continue to do so, today - back on Court 17, second match up - against Brit, Aljaze Bedene.