Black Tennis Pros

(L-R) Nicolas Almagro and Tsonga

A day after knocking out two-time Rogers Cup champion Roger Federer, Tsonga delivered another strong performance, dismissing the eighth-seeded Almagro in one hour and 28 minutes.

The Frenchman won 70 per cent of his service points, and saved three break points in the final game to lock up the quarter-final win. The victory increased Tsonga’s undefeated record against Almagro to a 5-0 mark. "I was a bit tired today. I lacked energy. The match yesterday took a lot of stamina, and today my energy level was low," admitted Tsonga. "Therefore, I decided to focus on only a number of return games and try to focus on holding my serve. It was a way for me to save the energy I had left, not playing hard every game."

 
Tsonga is into the semi-finals for the second time at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Canada, after reaching the final four in Montreal two years ago. The 26 year old is looking to win his first title in 2011, having finished runner-up in Rotterdam (l. to Soderling) and the AEGON Championships in London (l. to Murray). Tsonga's biggest title to date came on home soil, when he claimed the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris three years ago (d. Nalbandian).

The World No. 16 and Djokovic have met eight times, and Tsonga holds a 5-3 edge. Djokovic won their most recent meeting, defeating the Frenchman in four sets in the Wimbledon semi-finals. "The last match was very close, very intense, very important for both of us," Djokovic said. "He's been playing better in last couple of months. I think he increased his level. He's and all around player. He can play pretty well on all surfaces. He has a big serve. If he serves well, he can beat anybody. He showed that in previous couple of tournaments.

"So it's going to be tough one. It's a fast surface. I need to return well and hope that I can get some chances."

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Wild card Sloane Stephens defeated qualifier Jamie Hampton 6-2, 6-4 in an-American match Thursday at the BNP Paribas Open to set up a second-round clash with WTA No. 1 and returning finalist Caroline Wozniacki.

The 17-year-old Stephens achieved her career-best win on her tour-level debut here last year, when she came through the qualifying rounds and defeated a 67th-ranked Lucie Hradecka before falling to No. 12 Vera Zvonareva. This will her first win against a player ranked in the Top 10 of the WTA Rankings.

Hampton, the lone American among the 12 qualifiers, was looking for her first win in her sixth tour-level main draw appearance.

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Sloane Stephens, one of two 16-year-olds in the BNP Paribas Open field, celebrated her first match on the WTA Tour with a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (7) triumph over Lucie Hradecka.

Stephens led 5-2 in the second set and had match point on serve in the ninth game, then had to rally from 3-6 down in the second-set tiebreaker.

"I wasn't getting nervous," Stephens said. "She started playing a lot more. Before, she was hitting a lot of balls off the court and I was waiting for the error. She made me play at the end."

Stephens said she'll remember hitting an ace down the middle of the court to get to 6-all in the second-set tiebreaker. She couldn't recall the final shot of the match, though, but said "it was a good moment."

Fellow American Shenay Perry didn't fare as well as Stephens, losing to Karolina Sprem 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

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ROUND 1

Women's Singles

(Q)Sloane Stephens, USA defeated Lucie Hradecka, CZE
7-6(5), 7-6(7)

(Q)Shenay Perry, USA defeated by Karolina Sprem, CRO
2-6, 6-4, 3-6

Doubles

Raquel Kops-Jones and Sarah Borwell, GBR
defeated
Anabel Medina Garrigues, ESP and Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
7-6(4), 4-6 [10-2]

Shenay Perry, USA and Melanie Oudin, USA
defeated by
Alisa Kleybanova, RUS and Francesca Schiavone, ITA
4-6, 5-7


Men's Singles

Gael Monfils, FRA vs. BYE

James Blake, USA defeated Daniel Gimeno-Traver, ESP
6-3, 6-2

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA vs. BYE

Doubles

James Blake, USA and Andy Roddick, USA
defeated
Ross Hutchins, GBR and Andy Murray, GBR
7-5, 7-6(5)

Gael Monfils, FRA and Gilles Simon, FRA
defeated by
David Ferrer, ESP and Albert Montanes, ESP
4-6, 2-6

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA and Julien Benneteau, FRA
defeated
Robert Lindstedt, SWE and Robin Soderling, SWE
7-5, 7-5

Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Donald Young, USA
Dustin Brown, JAM


ROUND 2

Women's Singles

(Q)Sloan Stephens, USA defeated by Vera Zvonareva, RUS
4-6, 5-7

Doubles

Raquel Kops-Jones and Sarah Borwell, GBR
defeated by
Yung-Jan Chan, TPE and Jie Zheng, CHN
1-6, 2-6


MEN'S SINGLES

Gael Monfils, FRA defeated by Simon Gruel, GER
6-1, 2-6, 3-6

James Blake, USA defeated David Ferrer, ESP
6-1, 6-4

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA defeated Marinko Matosevic, AUS
6-1, 6-3

Doubles

James Blake, USA and Andy Roddick, USA
defeated by
Daniel Nestor, CAN and Nenad Zimonjic, SRB
4-6, 6-3 [7-10]

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA and Julien Benneteau, FRA
defeated by
Simon Aspelin, SWE and Paul Hanley, AUS
6-7(4), 3-6


ROUND 3

MEN'S SINGLES

James Blake, USA vs. Nicolas Almagro, ESP
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA vs. Albert Montanes, ESP


ROUND 1

Singles

Asia Muhammed, USA defeated Ahsha Rolle, USA
6-4, 6-3

Angela Haynes, USA defeated by Jing-Jing Lu, CHN
4-6, 2-6

Doubles

Asia Muhammed, USA and Courtney B. Dolehide, USA
defeated by
Christina Fusano, USA and Courtney Nagle, USA
4-6, 6-3 [3-10]

Megan Moulton-Levy and Yulia Fedossova, FRA
defeated by
Xinyun Han, CHN and Chun-Mei Ji, CHN
6-1, 1-6 [5-10]

Angela Haynes, USA and Ahsha Rolle, USA
defeated
Corinna Dentoni, ITA and Anna Tatishvili, GEO
6-1, 6-4


Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Alexandra Stevenson, USA


ROUND 2

Singles

Asia Muhammed, USA defeated by Jing-Jing Lu, CHN
2-6, 4-6


QUARTERFINAL ROUND

Doubles

Angela Haynes, USA and Ahsha Rolle, USA
defeated by
Yi-Fan Xu, CHN and Yi-Miao Zhou, CHN
5-7, 6-3 [15-17]

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Twelve women, including Americans Shenay Perry and Sloane Stephens, booked their places in the main draw of the BNP Paribas Open after winning their second-round qualifying matches on Tuesday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Perry went the distance against Chinese Taipei’s Chang Kai-Chen, withstanding 16 aces off her opponent’s racquet to earn a 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(2) win in two hours and 15 minutes. The 25-year-old Perry, currently ranked No. 103, will be making her fourth appearance in the main draw. She made her best showing in 2006, when she reached the third round before falling to Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic.

Sixteen-year-old Stephens, a wild card entry in the qualification draw, cruised past Spaniard Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-1, 6-3. The 623rd-ranked Stephens is making her debut at the BNP Paribas Open. She enjoyed success in juniors last year, reaching the semi-finals at Roland Garros and the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.

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TOULON, France — Jo Wilfried Tsonga’s unbeaten run in the Davis Cup ended Sunday when the Frenchman was forced to retire with a sprained ankle against Simon Greul of Germany.

France had already qualified for the quarterfinals after Michael Llodra and Julien Benneteau defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber and Christopher Kas on Saturday for an insurmountable 3-0 lead.

Tsonga retired while trailing 4-6, 6-2, 1-0. The former Australian Open runner-up is expected to play the BNP Paribas Open starting next week at Indian Wells, California.

"I preferred to stop because it hurt me when I walked," Tsonga said. "It should take a few days before returning to normal. I will undergo scans tomorrow morning."

Julien Benneteau, who was named as a replacement for Gael Monfils, then gave his country a 4-1 victory with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Benjamin Becker in the last meaningless singles match. Benneteau won 83 percent of the points played on his first serve and broke his opponent four times.

On Friday, Gael Monfils and Tsonga won the opening singles against Kohlschreiber and Benjamin Becker respectively.

France will play Spain at home in the quarterfinals July 9-11. France’s last victory over Spain dates back to 1923.

"We won’t be favorites," Tsonga said. "They are the best and it’s a good moment to write history."

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On Wednesday in the doubles quarterfinal round of the BNP Paribas Open, Americans Mashona Washington and Bethanie Mattek-Sands lost their quest for the doubles title.

The American ladies had all kinds of trouble holding serve, thus allowing the Spaniards break after break. Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez severely ousted the Americans 6-1, 6-2.

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Something must be in the air in Indian Wells, not Big Jo!

Truth is, in a featured match on Monday evening at the BNP Paribas Open, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was ousted by Russian Igor Andreev 7-5, 6-4.

Six aces and a moderate serving day were not sufficient to keep the powerful Frenchman in California. And to make matters worse, Andreev served worse than Tsonga! However, Andreev was able to capitalize on a couple of breaks of Tsonga's serve.

Oh well, next...

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INDIAN WELLS, CA - MARCH 16: Lukas Dlouhy of the Czech Republic and Leander Paes of India play Juan Martin Del Potro and David Nalbandian of Argentina at the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 16, 2009 in Indian Wells, California.

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Sorry to see American Angela Haynes have to make her exit in the third round, she's put in the work on this one. Angela prevailed in the qualifying rounds to reach the main draw and has been playing well.

I was definitely concerned when I saw that she was scheduled to play Italian Flavia Pennetta. Pennetta can be a force to be reckoned with on any given day. Although Angela was able to take the first set off of Pennetta, she wasn't able to mount enough game to hold on through the next two sets. Pennetta took the win 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Hopefully we'll be seeing more of Angela in upcoming tour tournaments.

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Maaaan!

While you can't win 'em all, you can at least 'act' like you want to be there. American James Blake lumbered around the court with the appearance of very little interest in the match, especially in the second set. He played as if it was a foregone conclusion that he would lose. Something smacked the fight right out of Blake today; and it wasn't Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.

Gonzalez definitely played well, but he didn't present anything Blake hasn't previously faced. The 7-5, 6-1 defeat sounds as if he took Blake to the woodshed, not so. Blake wasn't available to be taken to the woodshed, he was out to lunch somewhere.

This is Blake's 7th straight loss to Gonzalez.

“I think my serve was a big difference,” said Blake. “I think I probably got about two, maybe three free points, in the whole second set on the first serve wasn't coming in. And when it was coming in, it wasn't hitting its spot. If I'm not getting any free points off of that, and he's as confident as he was playing after winning that first set, then it's going to be tough for me.”

"This was just a bad day, it hurts. It makes me want to get back on the practice court."

Perhaps our dear Mr. Blake needs a mini vacay. Oops, he took one today.

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Wow... I totally didn't see this coming.

In second round play at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California today, world no. 9 Gael Monfils of France was ousted by American John Isner, currently ranked at world no. 147. Isner defeated Monfils 7-6(5), 6-1, 6-4.

Monfils did not muster much defense or offense as Isner did not face any break points on serve, and broke Monfils three times in the one hour, 58 minute match.

This is the first time that Isner will advance to the third round of the BNP Paribas Open.

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In what was otherwise routine first and second round play at a tennis tournament, American James Blake and Finland's Jarkko Niemenen played a match worthy of a quarterfinal in second round play at the the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California.

In a match that went back and forth with Blake winning the first set 6-3 and Niemenen the second set 6-7(6), Blake ramped up his play and took Niemenen out in the third set 6-3.

It was well worth staying up for the length of the match.

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March 16, 2009 - James Blake

Hello once again. I hope everyone is doing well. It’s been a very good tournament so far. The crowds have been amazing and the weather has been great.

I managed to get through my first match even though I lost the second set. It was nice and warm during the day, but I played the second match of the evening session and it was a cool night, which made the conditions a little bit slower. I was happy to win and now I can focus on my next match.

When you play on the tour, there are no easy matches, no matter who you play. Sometimes you might see a score of a match that may look like an easy win, but I’ll tell you with the depth in men’s professional tennis these days, there are no easy wins and every match is tough.

In my first blog earlier this week, I mentioned that this tournament will always be special for me because I reached the final here in 2006, but there is something that happened in nearby Rancho Mirage at the beginning of my pro career that was also very special.

It was back in 2000, the year after I turned pro, when I came to the desert to play in a USTA Challenger at the Mission Hills Country Club. The week before, I had lost to Andy (Roddick) in the second round at a Challenger in Burbank, but in Rancho Mirage everything started to click.

I beat Bob Bryan in the first round and I went on to reach the finals, where I beat Cecil Mamiit to win the tournament. It was the second Challenger title of my career. I remember getting the winners’ check for $3,600, but the important thing was the confidence it gave me. It was a really good feeling I had knowing that I could compete on the tour with those guys.

One interesting thing I remember from that tournament was that Bob (Bryan) was debating just concentrating more on doubles. I have to smile knowing I may have had something to do with him and his brother becoming one of the best doubles teams of all-time.

For sports fans, this is an awesome time of the year. Besides all of the tennis going on, there is the upcoming NCAA men’s basketball tournament. I always get together with friends and fill out tournament brackets.

If you didn’t already know, I’m a big North Carolina Tar Heels fan and I’m pretty happy they got the top seed in the South region. I hope they go all the way this year.

Besides following the basketball tournament, I’ll be following major league baseball as soon as the season starts. I’m also a big Mets fan and I hope new relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez will help the Mets into the playoffs this year.

My coach is telling me it’s time to hit the practice courts, so I’ll say good-bye for now.

All the best.
James

--

March 14, 2009 - James Blake

Greetings from Indian Wells everyone.

The good folks at the tournament here have asked me to put together a short blog this week, so I was more than happy to do it.

I love coming to Indian Wells at this time of the year when the weather is nearly perfect for playing tennis. For the most part, I play well here and I have a lot of good memories from the tournament.

In 2006 I had a “dream” tournament when I won five straight matches to get to the finals. It would have been great to win that last match and take the title, but Roger (Federer) was just too tough that day.

I’ve already noticed that this year’s tournament has a little bit of a different feel here because it has a new sponsor, BNP Paribas. I’m familiar with them because they sponsor Davis Cup and they’re a pretty big tennis sponsor in Europe.

The other day I happened to check out the men’s qualifying draw which was played this last Tuesday and Wednesday. I was happy to see guys like Kevin Kim, Robert Kendrick, Todd Widom, Michael Russell and Brendan Evans get to the main draw.

These guys spend a lot of time on the USTA challenger circuit during the year and they work hard, so it’s nice to see them win a couple of matches and get into the main draw of a big tournament like the BNP Paribas Open.

Sometimes as an American tennis player, you hear fans ask, “What’s wrong with American tennis?” If you look at the first round of the main draw, you’ll notice quite a few Americans won first-round matches including Kendrick, Widom and Russell. I was also happy to see Taylor Dent come through with a win. He’s been training hard during his comeback.

When I got here, someone asked me if I had brought my golf clubs with me. I actually didn’t this year, but who knows maybe if I have a chance later, I’ll get out on the greens.

Speaking of golf, I’ll never forget the time a couple of years ago when I went golfing at the Dunes at the La Quinta Resort here with my coach Brian Barker, Mardy Fish and Scott Humphries.

We were on the seventh hole, which is 202-yards and a par three. I used a four iron and I drove the ball, but didn’t see it drop because it rolled behind a little hill. When we got closer to the hole, I didn’t see any balls down there and then I started thinking it might have gone in.

Sure enough, it was a hole-in-one. To tell you the truth, I was excited, but it wasn’t my first one. I actually hit one about four months earlier back home in Florida.

I just found out that I’ll be playing Jarkko Nieminen of Finland in the featured match on Saturday night on Stadium Court. I’ve beaten him in all five of our previous head-to-head matches, but four of the five matches have gone to three sets. He’s a dangerous player and I certainly won’t look past this match.

If you’re at the tournament in Indian Wells, I hope you have a good time at the BNP Paribas Open. There is going to be some great tennis during the two weeks.

Until next time.
James

--

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Since turning pro within a year of each other nearly a decade ago, Andy Roddick and James Blake have become friends and travel partners, shared Davis Cup duties and carried American hopes on their backs.

But the best male players of the current generation have taken a radically different approach when it comes to the voice in their ears.

Since joining the circuit in 2000, the cannon-serving, forthright Roddick has engaged no less than seven coaches on a part- or full-time basis. Blake, who spent two years at Harvard before jumping to the pros in 1999, has had one.

"I've always said about tennis, it's a very individual sport," 13th-ranked Blake said in a conference call last month. "What works for one will never work for another."

Roddick and Blake will be vying for the BNP Paribas Open title at Indian Wells, Calif., during the next 10 days

"I don't think it was a conscious decision or anything I set out at 18 years old" to have so many different voices over the course of the career, Roddick says. "I don't think it's something that you can generalize."

Roddick began his 2009 campaign with new coach Larry Stefanki, a former pro and veteran coach who has worked with a number of top players. Stefanki replaced Jimmy Connors, who Roddick parted ways with last spring.

Blake is in Indian Wells with Brian Barker, the only coach he has had since age 11.

Blake is much more the exception than the rule. Most players switch coaches throughout their playing days as priorities change and relationships become stale. Compensation, travel and logistics also play a role.

Finding the right mix can be tricky, as Roger Federer learned last week. The Swiss No. 2 could not come to terms with former pro and ESPN commentator Darren Cahill after inviting him for a trial run to his second home in Dubai last week. Cahill, with two young children, didn't want to travel as much as Federer required.

Both Americans say there are pros and cons to their different approaches.

"For me, I would not be nearly as successful with someone that didn't know me as a person, and know my strengths and weaknesses on the court," says Blake, who at 29 has finished in the top 10 two of the last three years.

Roddick joked that mimicking Blake would "require me finding a coach that could put up with me for nine years."

Blake praised Barker for knowing the nuances of his game and for being as much friend as mentor, as when he supported Blake through his comeback in 2004 following a broken neck, the death of his father and a vision-blurring disease.

"I credit him with making me the best player I can possibly be, and absolutely maximizing my potential," says Blake, adding that "we are going to be friends for life, that's not even a question."

"One of the things that makes our bond strong is that there have been so many ups and downs," Barker says.

Former No. 1 Roddick, 26, likes to pick the brain of some of game's best minds, and it has often paid quick dividends.

He rode his early association with Brad Gilbert in 2003 by storming through the summer hardcourt swing and winning the U.S. Open. He has also started strong with Stefanki, reaching the Australian Open semifinals and winning last month's indoor tournament at Memphis.

"There's been a couple of times in my career where it's really jump-started my playing just by having a fresh voice," Roddick says.

The downside is the getting-to-know-you process, along with periods of transition.

"Obviously, continuity is a good thing, and there have certainly been times where I've been without someone or in transition and you're just kind of trying to make due," Roddick said.

With 37 titles and a Davis Cup championship between them, the two Americans must be doing something right, even if they have chosen opposing coaching paths.

"If he had the same coach the whole time he wouldn't be as good as he is, said Blake of Roddick. "If I had changed coaches, the way he has, I wouldn't be as good."

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SINGLES

WTA

Round 1

Angela Haynes, USA defeated Ajla Tomljanovic, CRO
7-5, 6-2

Stephanie Foretz, FRA defeated by Petra Cetkovska, CZE
2-6, 5-7


Round 2

Angela Haynes, USA defeated Ai Sugiyama, JPN
6-4, 7-5


Round 3

Angela Haynes, USA defeated by Flavia Pennetta, ITA
6-4, 4-6, 1-6


ATP

Round 1

Gael Monfils, FRA vs. BYE

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA vs. BYE

James Blake, USA vs. BYE


Round 2

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA defeated Teimuraz Gabashvili, RUS
7-5, 6-3

James Blake, USA defeated Jarkko Neimenen, FIN
6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3

Gael Monfils, FRA defeated by John Isner, USA
7-6(5), 6-1, 6-4


Round 3

James Blake, USA defeated by Fernando Gonzalez, CHI
5-7,-1-6


DOUBLES

WTA

Round 1

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Abigail Spears, USA
defeated
Nathalie Dechy, FRA and Mara Santangelo, ITA
6-4, 3-6 [10-5]

Mashona Washington, USA and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
defeated
Sorana Cirstea, ROU and Galina Voskoeva, KAZ
6-2, 6-2


Round 2

Raquel Kops Jones, USA and Abigail Spears, USA
defeated by
Iveta Benesova, CZE and Barbara Zahlavova Strycova
1-6, 5-7

Mashona Washington, USA and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
defeated
Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS and Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
4-6, 7-5 [10-6]



ATP

Round 1

Jeff Coetzee, RSA and Wesley Moodie, RSA
defeated by
Michael Llodra, FRA and Radek Stepanek, CZE
6-3, 6-3

Gael Monfils, FRA and Mischa Zverev, GER
defeated by
Lukasz Kubot, POL and Oliver Marach, AUT

7-6(2), 6-0

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American Angela Haynes secured her place in the BNP Paribas Open women's main draw, defeating Slovakian Jarmila Groth 6-3, 7-6(2) in the final round of qualification Tuesday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The 24-year-old Californian saved all five point break points faced on serve in the second set before going on the close out the match in the tie-break.

Haynes will be playing in the Indian Wells main draw for the fourth time, having received wild card entry in her past three appearances. She reached the second round in 2005 (l. to Sharapova) and ‘08 (l. to Hantuchova).

The French contingent faltered in their qualification bid with Stephanie Foretz (pictured) the only woman from her country to make her way into the main draw. The 104th-ranked Foretz ousted compatriot Camille Pin 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 in two hours and seven minutes, and will be making her fifth appearance in the Indian Wells main draw. Frenchwomen Aravane Rezai, Severine Bremond, Julie Coin and Mathilde Johansson all followed Pin out of the qualification draw.

Source

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SINGLES AND DOUBLES QUALIFYING ROUNDS

WOMEN'S

Round 1

Angela Haynes, USA defeated Olga Savchuk, UKR
6-1, 6-3

Stephanie Foretz, FRA defeated Aiko Nakamura, JPN
6-4, 6-1

Asia Muhammad, USA defeated by Akgul Amanmuradova UZB
6-3, 4-6, 5-7


Final Round

Angela Haynes, USA defeated Jarmila Groth, SVK
6-3, 7-6(2)

Stephanie Foretz, FRA defeated Camille Pin, FRA
1-6, 7-5, 6-4



MEN'S

Round 1

Nicholas Monroe, USA defeated Evgeny Korolev, RUS
7-6(3), 1-6, 6-2

Scoville Jenkins, USA defeated Sam Warburg, USA
6-2, 6-3

Donald Young, USA defeated by Michael Lammer, SUI
6-2, 4-6, 5-7


Final Round

Nicholas Monroe, USA defeated by Rik De Voest, RSA
3-6, 4-6

Scoville Jenkins, USA defeated by Kevin Kim, USA
7-6(4), 2-6, 1-6

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McALLEN - Fifty of the players who entered the 2009 Dr. Raul Marques and Dr. Rosario Parra Men's Futures of McAllen singles qualifying tournament came to the Rio Grande Valley to swing, sprint and dive their way to another gold star on their tennis resumés.

Donald Young doesn't need any more gold stars - he just needs playing time.

Young, 19, is already a professional and plays in ATP Tour events.

With an ATP world ranking of No. 146 (130 when he entered), he stands 240 spots ahead of his next-best competitor, Vladimir Obradovic, at the tournament hosted by McAllen Country Club. The McAllen Futures provides him with a chance to get some much-needed match play.

"I haven't been playing that many matches on the tour," said Young, who was born in Chicago and lives in Atlanta. "You win two matches, you're in the quarters. You don't get that many (matches) because you're playing a lot of high-level players. I need to get some confidence, so I come down and play where I can win some matches."

McAllen Country Club pro Arturo Czerwiak, the event's main organizer, said that it's nice to have a player of Young's caliber in the tournament.

"It's an honor for us and the tournament and the USTA in McAllen," Czerwiak said. "It's an honor and we're proud to have him here."

After defeating Houston native Henry Fowler 6-4, 6-2 in Sunday's second round, Young beat China's Yu Chang 6-3, 6-2 on Monday to advance to the qualifiers round of eight. Despite losing in straight sets, Chang gave Young a good workout, forcing the pro to sprint end to end on a few points.

"He had nothing to lose and he came out," Young said of Chang. "I don't get to see these players too much, so this is where all the good players come from anyway. You have to start at somewhere, so this is where they're starting."

Before turning pro, Young was one of the world's best junior players, winning the Australian Open junior tournament in 2005 and the Wimbledon junior event in 2007. In 2005, he became the youngest year-end world No. 1 junior player at 16 years, five months, as well as the first African American male to hold that honor.

So far in 2009, Young's best showing was in late January when he lost to fellow-American Vincent Spadea in the quarterfinals of an ATP Challenger Tour event in Carson, Calif. Young hopes that the match play he gets at the McAllen Futures will help him prepare for the BNP Paribas Open, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event running March 12 through 23 at Indian Wells, Calif.

"This year I want to break top 50 ATP and just keep playing well and get better," he said. "I guess I want to improve - that's the biggest thing."

The McAllen Futures started this past Saturday and runs through Sunday. There is no admission for rounds through Friday. Tickets for Saturday's semifinals and Sunday's finals are $10. The weekend package is $15.

Stephen K. Lee covers sports for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4442.

Source

Photo © The Monitor

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