Tennis
U.S. Open Report: One For The Ages
By Richard Kent
Aug 29, 2008

NEW YORK -- It was all it was supposed to be and  more. James Blake and Donald Young. Two heavyweights on the first day of the  U.S. Open in prime time. How could you ask for more? Even the weather was  perfect. And it was followed a performance by Earth, Wind & Fire.

  Blake came out of the gate fast  and won the first set easily 6-1. It looked to be no contest as Young was  erratic, one of his problems. Young turned his game around in the second  set and made very few unforced errors in winning 6-3.

  The crowd was abuzz.

  Blake came back in the third set  and served quite well, winning 6-1 again. Once again Young, the son of teaching  professionals from Georgia looked down and out, but the lefty came back and won  the fourth set, 6-4.

  Young had many break points in the  fifth set but could not convert, losing a closely contested set 6-4 to the  highly-ranked Blake. For the match, Blake had 54 winners to only 43 for  Young.

  American tennis has been better  in the past, but Young is one of the great hopes. He is only 19 years old and  beating Blake would have been the best win of his career.

  It was the first time that the  two had ever played and Young was clearly anxious before the match. The  Open is Blake's favorite tournament and very close to his Fairfield,  Connecticut home.

  He had many fans and family in  the crowd including his brother Thomas, a fellow Harvard player in his box. The  match brought back memories of Blake's dramatic five-set loss to Andre Agassi  at night a few years back.

Blake, Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish are really the only  American men that have a chance to make any noise in this Open. The women are  far better off with many contenders including the obvious choices in the  Williams sisters.