U.S. Open: Donald Young upsets 14th-seeded Stan Wawrinka

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Donald Young brought the 2011 U.S. Open its first magical moment Friday, that match where buzz begins, murmurs turn into lots of pedestrian traffic jams as everyone rushes to the place where ‘it’ is happening.

That place was Court 17 on a steamy afternoon. Young, 22, who had created some ill will earlier this year when he used social media to berate the United States Tennis Association (USTA) for deciding to have a playoff for a wild-card space in the main draw of the French Open, earned his place in the third round of the U.S. Open. Young upset 14th-seeded Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland, 7-6 (7), 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (1) in a 4-hour, 20-minute marathon.

Young did receive a wild card into the main draw, after he’d gotten to his first ATP semifinals earlier this summer in Washington, D.C. Young also reached the third round here four years ago, when his future was considered to be on an upward path.

But Young, who was the youngest player ever ranked No. 1 on the International Tennis Federation’s Junior Circuit at the age of 16 years and 5 months, had never won a five-set match before Friday.

‘It was a battle, man,’ Young said as the Court 17 crowd was still chanting, ‘Don-ald, Don-ald.’ Young said he had worked hard on his fitness, something that hadn’t always been the case. ‘I didn’t know I could go that long,’ he said. ‘I’ve grown a lot, I started young and I’ve learned from all those mistakes out there. Everybody’s light comes on at their own time and I feel mine’s starting to come on.’

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-- Diane Pucin in New York