Mornin'. Wow. That's all I can say about Donald Young's 7-6 (5) in-the-third win over Gael Monfils in the Bangkok semifinals. Wow. I was just thinking how it's about as improbable a win as I can think of when the Typepad site opened up and—pop!—the first two comments I see in the update page are expressions of wonder and delight by two familiar names, Master Ace and Aube.
I guess these reactions are a comment on how we've come to view Young Donald, whose career has been much more complicated than the conventional narrative might imply (prodigy turns pro, perhaps too early, and struggles to find a satisfying niche on the ATP tour). It merits a full post, which I'll write next week. Right now, though, I imagine that when Andy Murray looked at the computer or draw and saw the Young would be his opponent again—this time in a final—he did a double-take and asked, "What, that pesky kid again?"
Also, in a post yesterday I singled out Janko Tipsarevic as one of the prime candidates for success this fall. It just seems that the arc of his career and ambitions, and the nature of the fall/Asian tour this year (a drastic drop-off in participation by the Top 3, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic), are a good match. Tipsarevic stopped Kei Nishikori yesterday, and will meet a resurgent Marcos Baghdatis (what, again?) in the Kuala Lumpur final.
On the WTA side, it's all over in Tokyo. Agnieswzka Radwanska hammered Vera Zvonareva in straight sets for the third consecutive time. Radwanska is 6-2 in WTA tournament finals, and this win at the Toray Pan Pacific Open represents her second triumph in a Premier-level title this year (the other one she won was the Mercury Insurance Open, at Carlsbad, Ca.). It's an excellent win for Radwanska, who survived three three-setters during her journey to the presentation ceremony.
Enjoy what tennis you can see this weekend!
- Pete