Young Looks To Gain Confidence At Savannah Challenger
Young Looks To Gain Confidence At Savannah Challenger
Former World No. 38 hopes for a strong showing in his home state
Donald Young doesn’t have to be here at the Savannah Challenger, playing in front of a couple dozen people on an island outside Savannah. The 26 year old is ranked No. 84 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and could be in Europe preparing for qualifying at ATP World Tour tournaments, including the Mutua Madrid Open and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.
But Young, like most players, has gone through ups and downs during his career, and he’s in Savannah to start what he hopes is another positive stretch. “I just wanted to play to get some matches on clay before leaving for Europe,” Young said. “I thought I’d come here and build some confidence.”
The American was beaming with assurance at times during 2015. He started the year with a quarter-finals showing at the ASB Classic in Auckland. In February, he reached his second ATP World Tour final at the Delray Beach Open. Later that month, Young beat two Top 50 players on his way to the semi-finals at the Memphis Open. The Atlanta resident started the year 13-7.
“The beginning of last year was awesome,” Young said.
But in 2016, the Chicago native failed to replicate that strong start. He reached the second round in Auckland, fell in the quarter-finals in Memphis and lost in the second round in Delray Beach. As a result, since the beginning of the year, his ranking has slipped 38 spots.
Young has come to the $50,000 ATP Challenger for the sixth time to gain more self-belief. The left-hander has used ATP Challengers to propel his career in the past.
In 2007, he won the Aptos Challenger and made the final in Tulsa, Calabasas, Louisville and Champaign. That same year he cracked the Top 100 for the first time. In 2011, Young won the Tallahassee Challenger and made the Savannah Challenger final. During that four-week stretch, he also improved his ranking 28 spots.
“(Challengers are) a great springboard to get on to the (ATP World) Tour,” Young said. “It’s very important to come back down, win some matches, and winning begets winning. You win at any level, you start feeling good.”
He won on Monday night in straight sets against his 20-year-old compatriot Noah Rubin 7-5, 7-6(3). Last week, at the Sarasota Challenger, Rubin upset the No. 1 seed Denis Kudla. On Wednesday, Young, the No. 2 seed in Savannah, will look to reach the quarter-finals against Russian Daniil Medvedev.
“Tennis is weird… You need to win to get confidence but you can’t have confidence without winning,” Young said. “I’m here to get confidence.”