Donald Young kept the fans on edge in the first round of the Atlanta Open when he fell behind against Austin Krajicek and rallied to advance in his hometown tournament.
On Wednesday, he did almost the exact same thing.
Young defeated fellow American Tim Smyczek 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 on Wednesday in what was his second comeback victory in three days. Young, who lives in Atlantic Station, fell behind 3-0 in the second set before he took control and forced a second set tiebreak.
From there, it was his match to lose.
“When I got that first break at 3-0 down, I relaxed and was like, ‘Hey, if he’s going to beat me, I’m not going to give it to him,’ Young said.
While Young’s play improved, Smyczek took a step back. He struggled through the end of the second set, and the frustration showed. Smyczek barked at some of the fans cheering loudly for the Atlanta resident, which drew a conduct warning from the chair umpire.
Young said he had told his team he needed energy and they provided what he needed. It also turned into a mind game for Smyczek.
“Without the crowd, it’s kind of even,” Young said. “It’s you and the crowd versus this guy. It can get heavy after a while. It definitely helps in the tight moments.”
Young’s advancing to his second ATP quarterfinals of the summer makes him the third Atlanta native to make the quarterfinals during this tournament. On the doubles’ side, Christopher Eubanks and Zack Kennedy pulled off an upset, as the college duo beat Yoshihito Nishioka and Thiago Monteiro on Tuesday. Like Young, Eubanks and Kennedy needed a come-from-behind effort to make it happen.
Young faces Riley Opelka — who pulled off his own comeback before Young’s match — in the quarterfinals. Young said getting past Opelka boils down to taking it one point at a time and one swing at a time.
After all, it was that mindset that got him past Smyczek.
“I had a foot out the door, and I decided to keep fighting and see what happens,” Young said. “It turned out well.”
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