First-round winners might train together
The Legg Mason Tennis Classic encapsulated both ends of the sport’s spectrum in two first-round matches Monday.
At one end there was 22-year-old junior star-turned-journeyman Donald Young, who looked refreshed after his first break in nine weeks, putting in a nearly flawless 6-0, 6-3 first-round effort against Artem Sitak. At the other was surging 31-year-old veteran James Blake, who needed only 56 minutes to finish a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Tatsuma Ito. Young is ranked No. 128, and Blake is 90th.
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| LEGG MASON CLASSIC |
| Tuesday’s matches |
| Ryan Harrison vs. Mischa Zverev, 4 p.m. |
| Tommy Haas vs. Fernando Gonzalez |
| James Blake vs. No. 8 David Nalbandian |
| No. 11 John Isner vs. Tobias Kamke |
If the two could get together, perhaps both could surge into the top 50 by year’s end.
For his part, Blake has extended an offer for Young to train with him in Tampa, Fla.
“Donald’s a great kid and a heck of a talent,” Blake said. “For me it helped a lot when I was young to train with someone like Mats Wilander. It helped me when I got to hit with guys like [Pete] Sampras and [Andre] Agassi. I’d love to put myself in those guys’ category, but I’m realistic. I’m a little older and more experienced than Donald, but I do think I have something to offer.”
Young, who is based in Atlanta where there are fewer pros, said it just hasn’t worked out yet.
“The goals themselves haven’t really changed. Just the timeline has changed a little bit,” said Young, who turned pro in 2004 and owns Australian Open and Wimbledon junior titles but none at the ATP level. On Monday, he didn’t lose a point on his serve in the first set and only three in the second.
Off the court, Mardy Fish, the top-ranked American at No. 8, became the latest injury casualty, withdrawing because of a bruised right heel. The No. 2 seed’s absence came late enough to leave no time to reconfigure the tournament at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center.
Wayne Odesnik took Fish’s place in the Legg Mason draw and the bye into the second round that came with it. Odesnik will face Radek Stepanek, a 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-0 winner over Philipp Petzschner.
