Young finally arrives, upsetting Wawrinka

Pigs have not yet begun to fly at the U.S. Open, but the early-round performances of the American men -- and, especially, Donald Young's upset of Stanislas Wawrinka Friday -- temporarily have broken the cycle of the long tennis malaise among the Yanks.

Young is the Atlanta-based prodigy who had been the world's best 15-year-old but this year, at 22, appeared closer to the lost-cause category, without a tournament title since he turned pro in 2004 and having clashed at times with the U.S. Tennis Association over his development.

Only a month ago, before a nice run at Washington's tune-up event, Young's ranking was a humble 128th, necessitating a wild card to play at Flushing Meadows. That hardly presaged a good second-round result against Wawrinka, the 26-year-old Swiss veteran, seeded 14th, who stormed into the Open's quarterfinals a year ago.

But, Friday, in a five-set test of fitness, focus and ability to construct points against a seasoned pro, Young prevailed, 7-6 (7), 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (1). Combined with John Isner's straight-sets victory over fellow American Robby Ginepri and the buzz over 18-year-old Jack Sock's late-night duel against Nebraska compatriot Andy Roddick, the tennis world might have been moved to cry, "Uncle Sam.''

Why now? "I think,'' Young said, "everyone's light turns on at their own time. I'm starting to feel like mine is turning on. Not everybody does it when everybody expects it to be done. I wish it could have been earlier, but it's starting to come and I'm excited about it.''

There has been past uneasiness between Young and John McEnroe, who worked briefly with Young years ago because they shared the same agent, and McEnroe recently said Young hadn't worked enough at being "in tiptop shape'' and that Young and his family "just expected [success] was going to happen, and I think it's been a rude awakening.''

Plus, Young had complained, strongly and profanely, about the USTA not granting him a wild card into the French Open, angering Patrick McEnroe, the organization's director of player development. But Friday, after Young eliminated Wawrinka on the Open's new show court (No. 17), Patrick McEnroe tweeted that "Donald Young has become a man today.''

Forced to the first-set tiebreaker, down 0-4 in the second set, down two-sets-to-one, Young simply plowed ahead and, by the fourth set, had the crowd chanting his name "kind of like baseball chants.''

"It's great for me, to play four hours and 20 minutes,'' he said. "Throughout the whole match, I was looking at the clock and, like, 'Oh, man, am I going to make it the whole time?' ''

"I think every player, when they lose a match, it's, 'I quit. This is the worst tennis I ever played in my life and it's over,' '' Young said of his extended low period. "But this is something I chose to do. People around me told me it would be a waste to waste the talent you have.''

Not Friday.