By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, February 20, 2015

 

Donald Young defeated Alexandr Dolgopolov, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, to reach his second straight semifinal in Delray Beach.

Photo credit: Sports Writers of America-Greg Allan

Delray Beach, Fla. — Five match points had come and gone and Donald Young's nerve seemed to be scattering in the stiff breeze.

Serving for the match, Young double faulted, sailed a forehand beyond the baseline and suddenly the court felt crowded. The 56th-ranked American was battling both Alexandr Dolgopolov and those old jitters that have haunted him in the past.

More: Focused Young Rolls into Delray Beach Quarterfinals

These are the times when the gremlins of self-doubt can creep up on Young, gunking up the gears to his game and causing mental meltdowns.

This time, Young faced the pressure moving forward and took the fight to his opponent. On his sixth match point, Young attacked and used his soft hands finish the job.

Sticking a slick backhand volley winner down the line, Young dispatched Dolgopolov, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, to advance to the Delray Beach semifinals for the first time.

Young earned his sixth win in his last seven matches and more importantly broke the cycle of self-sabotage that's plagued him in the past.

"It was five match points? Oh wow, I wasn't counting," Young said afterward. "Before, I would have been like 'Here we go again back to the same cycle of having chances and losing.' This time, I've been winning matches. So you kind of focus on the next point. You're just worried about yourself and what you're going to do on the next point."

The 25-year-old Young raised his record to 9-3 on the season, the best start of his career. He won 18 matches last season.

"I thought I fought well. I didn't start off the way I wanted to and he was playing pretty well, hitting through the wind and controlling his shots quite good. I decided to buckle down and fight, go out swinging and hitting out a little more and not play so conservative. It happened to work. I was missing some volleys earlier, but toward the end I was starting to make more than I missed."

It was a dramatic finish and a milestone moment for Young, who has reached successive ATP semifinals for the first time in his career.

"It was tough. I can remember a lot of times before that would have been it for me," Young said of his state of mind after failing to convert match points. "I was playing well. I was still serving for the match. I knew he had missed a few returns in the wind.

"I got tight serving for the match, to be honest. He played a couple good points especially the one that hurt a bit because I thought I had it. I just tried to be resilient and keep fighting. I knew was in a position to win and didn't let up."

For a set and a half, Dolgopolov was unrelenting. Dolgopolov was in such command a frustrated Young flung his racquet high in the air and muttered to himself in disgust after falling behind 2-5. The third-seeded Ukrainian won 13 of 15 points on his first serve rolling through the opening set.

Dolgopolov delivered back-to-back love holds for 3-all in the second set. Two games later, Young attacked behind a forehand then blocked back a 124 mph serve, drawing an error to earn double break point. When Dolgopolov launched himself into a second serve, Young knew exactly where it was going. He angled a crosscourt backhand return to break for 5-3. The lefhander slid a 119 mph serve winner down the T to take the second set and level the match after 62 minutes.

"Obviously, he got some confidence in the second set because I think for a set and a half he didn't know what to do really," Dolgopolov said. "I gave him that momentum. Then of course he was more confident and and I was less confident."

Photo credit: Sports Writers of America-Greg Allan

Serving at 2-all in the third set, Dolgopolov hit an exquisite drop volley winner to save a second break point. Young streaked forward behind another forehand, drawing a backhand pass into net to score the lone break of the decider 84 minutes into the match.  

Consolidation didn't come easily. Serving at 30-all in the next game, Young won a 17-shot rally when Dolgopolov shanked a forehand off the scoreboard, eventually earning a hard-fought hold for 4-2.

Though this was their first ATP meeting, the two know each other from the junior days and Dolgopolov, who directed much of his attack to the American's two-handed backhand at the outset, said he wasn't surprised by what he saw.

"He was playing completely as I was awaiting him to play," Dolgopolov said. "I just gave him theose chances to get back in the match. I don't think something from him happened. He got confidence and played better in the third set. I gave it to him."

Down match points, Dolgopolov played some of his most dynamic tennis to nearly snatch back the momentum. He saved the first match point with an ace, hit a dazzling high backhand volley and ran down angled dropper to save the second, erased the third winning a 22-shot rally and rifled a pair of service winners to fend off match points four and five.

Trailing 0-30 serving for the match, Young's moment of truth arrived. He stepped into the court and spun three aggressive forehands to earn another match point before sticking that reaction volley to seal it.

"I wanted to stick it yeah, I was aiming line yes, but not that good," Young said with a smile afterward. "You're just in the moment and reacting. So I just reacted, moved and trusted technique. Before it was really tough [coming in on pressure points]. I didn't like to get passed. For some reason it feels different getting passed then missing from the baseline but you're losing the same point so you might as well try to do what's my strength, which I feel is moving forward kind of the reaction, the volley and the hands. I actually win more coming in than I lose so it's not a bad thing for me."

The former junior world No. 1 will face another former highly-touted junior, Bernard Tomic, for a spot in the final. The 46th-ranked Australian defeated 19-year-old Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka, 6-3, 6-1, in the second quarterfinal.

Young defeated Tomic, 7-6 (8), 4-6, 7-5, in the Memphis quarterfinals last week.

A week after advancing to his first ATP doubles final, Young has a shot to reach his second ATP singles final and sounds intent on riding this winning wave longer.

"A lot is breathing and just forgetting the last point because you can't do anything about the past," Young said of his approach. "I feel good. Hopefully it's not over yet. This is best time of my career for back to back weeks. I'm enjoying it and going to ride the wave. Hopefully, this is not the end."