TENNIS NEWS – JARED DONALDSON SETS UP ATLANTA MEETING WITH NICK KYRGIOS, DONALD YOUNG JUNIOR ALSO ADVANCES IN HIS HOMETOWN

Written by: Staff on 1st August 2016

TENNIS NEWS - JARED DONALDSON SETS UP ATLANTA MEETING WITH NICK KYRGIOS, DONALD YOUNG JUNIOR ALSO ADVANCES IN HIS HOMETOWN |

Photo by Richard Dimon

By Ricky Dimon

Photo by Richard Dimon

Nick Kyrgios’ BB&T Atlanta Open debut will come against Jared Donaldson after the wild-card entry ousted Sam Groth 6-2, 6-4 during first-round action on Monday afternoon. Donaldson saved both of the break points he faced and broke the big-serving Australian three times to prevail after one hour and five minutes of play.

“I feel like I’m playing really well,” the 19-year-old commented. “I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. There are a lot of matches left in this tournament, hopefully, and a lot of matches left in the summer. I have confidence in the way I’m playing right now, that the way I’m playing is a good style and is working for me. But I’m always looking to improve.”

Thus continues a stellar North American hard-court run for Donaldson, who successfully qualified and advanced one round in Washington, D.C. before also qualifying at the Rogers Cup and reaching the third round of that Masters 1000 event. He will hope to maintain momentum against the second-seeded Kyrgios on Thursday.

“I felt like I used the conditions to my advantage and played a really solid match,” Donaldson explained after beating Groth. “It will be definitely a challenging match (against Kyrgios) but I feel I’m in a good position to give him a good match, also.”

Donald Young joined his fellow American in the last 16 by overcoming compatriot Austin Krajicek 3-6, 7-6(10), 7-5. Young, who had been winless in his previous six trips to the Atlanta tournament, saved two match points in the second-set tiebreaker and battled back from a 5-2 deficit in the third before prevailing in two hours and 33 minutes.

Even after missing his two match-point opportunities in the second, Krajicek still had his opponent on the ropes when he broke for 3-1 advantage in the decider. The world No. 104 consolidated his lead easily en route to 5-2, but a pair of double-faults cost Krajicek his chance to serve things out. Showing clear signs of fatigue, perhaps stemming from a two-hour and 41-minute qualifying victory over James Duckworth on Sunday, Krajicek only went downhill the rest of the way. Young broke again at 5-5 and delivered a routine hold immediately thereafter to end the match on a streak of five consecutive games.

Photo by Richard Dimon

“I started off quite nervous,” said the seventh seed, who actually lives at Atlantic Station where the tournament is being held. “He was playing well. He was serving well, he was volleying; he played a little different than I expected. He was keeping the pressure on and making me come up with shots.

“I didn’t want to go out like that. didn’t want Monday to be my last day at the tournament and have to watch it from my window.”