John Isner, Donald Young lead Americans into second week of U.S. Open
NEW YORK – For the first time since Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish did it at the 2012 U.S. Open, two American men are through to the second week of a Grand Slam.
No. 13 John Isner and Donald Young join four American women -- Venus and Serena Williams, Madison Keys and Varvara Lepchenko -- through to the fourth round in New York.
For top-ranked American Isner, a 6-3, 6-4 win Saturday after his opponent Jiri Vesely retired before the third set means his busy summer schedule grinds on.
For Young, a 4-6, 0-6, 7-6(3), 6-2, 6-4 triumph over Viktor Troicki means, simply, improvement.
“Improvement. Resilience,” the 26-year-old said. “I've kind of been beat up. I've beat up myself. I've kind of been down. I've had good times, bad times. Just some resilience and fighting. Hopefully it's not over and there's more to come.”
Isner faces Roger Federer in the round of 16, and Young meets No. 5 Stan Wawrinka.
Young’s match was perhaps the rowdiest of the sellout day session, impressive considering No. 20 Victoria Azarenka beat No.11 Angelique Kerber 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 on Arthur Ashe in one of the best played women’s matches of the tournament.
It was the raucous crowd stuffed into Grandstand, more than willing to provide encouragement with “USA!” chants, that fueled Young’s third-set resurgence.
“Those fans honestly are the reason I was able to win,” Young said. “If that match would have probably been somewhere else, we probably wouldn't be sitting here talking.”
For those helpful spectators, the end result was worth suffering through an abominable second set from the fifth-ranked American, who won less than 40% of points off his first serve and looked to be on the verge of a familiar implosion.
But the tide changed after Young had his lower back worked on before the third set. He moved freer, approached the net more and was able to hit a heavier ball, producing 16 winners (up from just one in the second set) and 11 unforced errors.
Saturday’s match was another crest in a roller-coaster season for Young. Before earning the call up to play a tiebreak for the U.S. Davis Cup team in March he started the year 10-5 but has since leveled out to 19-18.
High points like wins against world No. 6 Tomas Berdych in Montreal were few and sporadic before the tournament, but Young’s performance in New York, in his mind, is the product of his recommitment to the sport.
“I'm here now, I'm 26,” Young said. “I'm right in the thick of things. That's when a lot of people start to play well. I'm playing better. I want to continue it.
“I feel like if I can improve things a little bit, it can be more consistent and I can keep moving up.”
Isner had an easier path to the fourth round in Louis Armstrong Stadium, good for the 30-year-old who has barely had a break from tennis since June.
A third-round exit from Wimbledon faded into the muggy North American swing, where Isner won in Atlanta, made the quarterfinals in Montreal and the finals in Washington.
Vesely’s retirement Saturday, the 13th on the men’s side so far, afforded Isner his third quick workday of the tournament. Heading into a Labor Day matchup with Federer, Isner has played less tennis at the Open than any other man in the draw.
“I'm playing well, I feel like,” Isner said. “Definitely conserved a lot of energy, as well. I'll be able to leave it all out there on Monday, win or lose.”
The American boasts a summer hard court record of 14-3 but has only beaten Federer once; that was in a Davis Cup match on clay back in 2012 that Isner calls the best of his career.
Isner, who will skip the U.S. Davis Cup meeting with Uzbekistan Sept. 18-20 to rest, is readjusting his goals for season’s end.
“I'm close again to the top 10. I know this, too, so it's fun,” Isner said. “It would be incredible for me to finish inside the top 10.
“Beginning of the year I didn't have many performance goals for myself, but now that's changed a bit now that the season is most of the way through.”
PHOTOS: Early rounds at the U.S. Open