New York (AP): Down two sets and a break, American Donald Young rallied to stun 11th-seeded Gilles Simon in the first round of the U.S. Open on Tuesday.
The 68th-ranked Young won 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in 3 hours, 34 minutes with a packed Court 17 urging him on.
The 26-year-old Young's career has been one of extremes, a one-time teen prodigy who has stumbled through some long losing streaks as a pro.
He reached his second ATP final at Delray Beach in February, dropped nine straight tour-level matches from March through August, then upset sixth-ranked Tomas Berdych in Montreal this month.
Young had never before come back to win after losing the first two sets.
"I was almost ready to go home there," he told the crowd in an on-court interview.
"I had nothing to lose," Young added of how he started going after his shots in the third set. "He was kicking my butt."
Simon had been 5-0 against Young. The Frenchman lost in the opening round for the first time in nine appearances at Flushing Meadows.
