Grand Finale

NEW YORK—In reaching the fourth round of the U.S. Open, 68th-ranked Donald Young has twice come back to win matches from two sets down. I didn't see any of his first turnaround, in the first round against No. 11 Gilles Simon, but I saw every point of his next trick, an escape act in the third round against No. 22 Viktor Troicki. Young has been able to conjure his best tennis at just the right moments thus far; even his four-set win over Aljaz Bedene in the second round was from a set down. With all due respect to Fabrice Santoro, Young has been nothing short of magical so far at Flushing Meadows.

Young’s 4-6, 0-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2, 6-4 win over Troicki wasn’t just unlikely, it was one of the tournament’s most dramatic performances. The stage was Grandstand, which after 38 years will vanish (for real) as part of the National Tennis Center’s massive, multi-year renovation. Barring a schedule change in the second week, Young and Troicki were the last two men to play a singles match on the beloved and quirky court.

Grandstand has hosted its share of memorable contests since the Open moved to Flushing in 1978, many involving a underdog U.S. crowd favorite. This one goes right up there alongside Brad Gilbert’s win over Boris Becker in 1987, and Taylor Dent’s marathon win from match point down in 2009, among others.

Like my iPhone battery, Troicki’s two-set lead evaporated completely just about three hours into the match. I had been tweeting courtside; today, I want to finish what I started, much like Young’s latest comeback.

—Sabine Lisicki and Barbora Strycova concluded yesterday’s Grandstand card with another compelling match, won by the German, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. And there will still be juniors and doubles matches held there during the second week. But I chose to follow Young’s match because Grandstand has always been a court that brings out the best in American players and fans. Neither disappointed, and it seemed appropriate that as the fifth set was about to begin, the flood lights came on for the first time. The show was about to begin.

—As the on-court clock read 3:00, Young took his first lead over Troicki all day when he broke serve for 2-1. The Serb served huge all day, touching 132 M.P.H. on the radar gun at one point. But Young’s return game was even more impressive over the last three sets. His anticipation and speed forced Troicki to play longer points as the match wore on, during which Young became more accurate and confident with his groundstrokes.

—The shot of the match was Young’s two-handed backhand, which rarely broke down. When you think of Young, you think of his loopy forehand, which doesn’t do much damage from the baseline. His backhand is the complete opposite: He hits it flat, with a short backswing, and it has deceptive power. As a defensive shot, it deflected many of Troicki’s heavy forehands back; either way, it was never a liability.

—Troicki grew increasingly frustrated with Young's improved form as the fifth set progressed; I can’t remember a single point after which he didn’t look over to his box to say something.

—But Troicki was still hitting the ball well; you knew a push was coming. That happened while he was serving at 2-4, 0-30. Six points from the win, Young was rendered helpless as Troicki fired a barrage of searing serves his way. Troicki then saved three break points and held, putting the pressure right back on his opponent. Young mixed up his serve more as the match went along, but his service games were rarely routine.

—Young went on to hold, and then Troicki found himself down a pair of match points at 3-5. At 15-40, he swatted a heavy serve that Young got a racquet on—the ball landed right on the net cord. At 30-40, Young had no chance on a wide serve whose impact echoed throughout the Grandstand. A few points later, Young had to contemplate his missed opportunities and prepare for the next game.

—The first point of the 5-4 game, I felt, was so important for Young—Troicki had barely escaped his prior two service games and at this point was playing with house money, despite losing the huge lead. To his credit, the 26-year-old went on to win a tense, 21-shot rally to go up 15-love.

—There were frequent roars from the crowd in the fifth set as Young found a variety of ways to pass Troicki at net. One of those came on the next point, when Young went crosscourt with a forehand, and then again on match point, with a forehand down the line. At 40-15, Young served up the T, came forward right away, and took a confident swipe at the short ball.

—Young cited his improved conditioning as a major reason for his success this week, both in the on-court interview and in the post-match press conference. “This is what you put the hours in the gym for,” he said.

—He also spoke to the overwhelming support he received from the packed house. “Those fans honestly are the reason I was able to win,” said Young, who added that it was “90 percent you guys, 10 percent me.”

—Next up for Young is a major step up in competition, two-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka. As dangerous a No. 5 seed as they come, Wawrinka’s serve and groundstrokes will cause Young even more trouble than Troicki's. Wawrinka hasn’t dropped a set, but none of his wins have been easy—only one of his nine sets has been quicker than 6-4.

As good as Young played during the final three sets against Troicki, it’s hard to imagine him being able to hold off Wawrinka’s blitzkrieg over a best-of-five. But there are two things you can point to as positives, if you’re rooting for the upset: First, Young has beaten Wawrinka once before—here, in fact, in 2011. Second, this match will be played in Arthur Ashe Stadium. It’s nowhere near as intimate as Grandstand, but if Young, like Wawrinka’s previous three opponents, can keep the sets relatively close, the sizable crowd will be all-in behind him. What he does from there will determine the outcome.

—Some more observations, during the first four sets:

—One last thought on Grandstand: The more time I spend at the U.S. Open this year, the more I begin to see the forest from the trees of Flushing Meadows Corona Park. There’s a roof growing over Ashe; there will be show courts dispersed around the grounds, rather than in their current, concentrated location; every year, it seems that a field court or two is being altered in some way. It’s the way all sporting facilities evolve, but in a sport as steeped in tradition as tennis, is that a good thing?

Not long ago, I might have said no. One of my favorite sights at the Open remains a pair of vintage signs, encroached by overgrown leaves, above the exits of Courts 10 and 13—two of the oldest still in use. And you know my thoughts on Grandstand.

But over this past week, I’ve been just as taken by some of the new. Courts 4, 5, and 6, an inviting tennis amphitheater, is quickly becoming my go-to spot to catch whatever tennis is taking place. And I’ve particularly enjoyed, of all places, Arthur Ashe Stadium. It feels more like a proper arena than a hulking edifice—the roof, even in its half-completed state, makes a huge difference to its feel, both in person and on TV. With Court 17 already a nice addition to the venue, I have a renewed optimism about the future of Flushing Meadows.

All that said, it was hard not to think about the past, and what we are saying goodbye to, as Young gave the Grandstand fans what they wanted, one more time. It was a grand finale I’ll always remember.