TENNIS in DEPTH.

Of all the teenage prodigies to emerge over the past few years, none have been more hyped or arrogant than the American, who at 15 won the Australian Open junior title and became the youngest boy ever to be ranked world number one. Young went straight into the professional ranks, albeit returning to juniors to win the Wimbledon title in 2007, and at 18 he was ranked in the top 100 and had reached the third round of the US Open. But then things began to unravel as Young became frustrated and disillusioned by his lack of success, the great hope of American tennis plummeting back outside the top 200. Slowly, though, things have started to turn around again, and a key result for Young, now 22, came in the second round at the Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells in March when, as a wild card, he upset Murray. ”At that point it was the biggest win in my career,” said Young. “It still is level-wise of an opponent and ranking-wise.”

More encouraging results followed, including a run to the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour event in Washington last month, which lifted him back into the top 100. That came too late for automatic entry into the US Open but the United States Tennis Association’s decision to give him a wild card has been royally rewarded with wins over Stanislas Wawrinka and Juan Ignacio Chela.

On Tuesday afternoon he will take to Arthur Ashe Stadium, the biggest court in tennis, and attempt to register a second win over Murray to reach the quarter-finals. It will be a different world number four he finds on the other side of the net, though, with the Murray of Indian Wells stuck in a post-Australian Open final malaise. The Scot is determined to make amends for that day, and Young said: “Definitely it will be different. ”It’s three out of five. It’s at a slam. I don’t think he had too much confidence coming to Indian Wells. He wasn’t playing his best. But I’m playing well also.”

The match is first on Arthur Ashe at 11am (4pm BST), scheduling Murray described as “interesting” on Twitter following his late-night win over Feliciano Lopez on Sunday, but, given the forecast for heavy rain, it could be a blessing in disguise.

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Djokovic recovered from 4-0 down in the opening tie-break Novak Djokovic came through a stunning first set tie-break to beat Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov and secure a place in the US Open quarter-finals. Djokovic saved four set points in the tie-break and needed six of his own on his way to a 7-6 (16-14) 6-4 6-2 win. The Serbian world number one will next face comaptriot Janko Tipsarevic, who beat Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-5 6-2.

Djokovic racked up his 61st win in 63 matches this year but it was not without alarms for the top seed, as Dolgopolov’s unorthodox game caused him problems. On a windy afternoon on Louis Armstrong Stadium, the 22nd seed kept Djokovic pinned back with his sliced backhand and, after the pair swapped breaks of serve, the first set went to a tie-break. Dolgopolov was in total control at 4-0 up but then got unlucky with a net cord, and Djokovic came racing back. Each man would have their opportunities as the crowd reached fever pitch, with Dolgopolov playing one incredible point to see off a set point by picking up a drop shot that seemed impossible, but in the end Djokovic converted his sixth break point and never looked back. He broke at the start of the second and third sets to see out a straight-sets win that had been anything but straightforward for the first 75 minutes.

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Serena Williams enjoyed a routine straight-sets win over Ana Ivanovic at the US
Open on Monday. Williams, now odds-on for a fourth Flushing Meadows crown of her career, continued her march through the draw with a 6-3 6-4 victory in New York. She will now face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for a place in the semi-finals.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova moved into her second Grand Slam quarter-final of the season on Monday by knocking seventh seed Francesca Schiavone out of the US Open. The Russian came from a set down to win the pair’s fourth-round clash 5-7 6-3 6-4. The Arthur Ashe Stadium was not treated to a classic, neither player was at her best as they racked up almost 100 unforced errors between them. Both also had double-fault counts in double figures. In addition, there were no fewer than 16 service breaks in the 31 games. The final set brought the best tennis of the match and after Pavlyuchenkova had squandered an early 2-0 lead, she finally struck the decisive blow with Schiavone serving to stay in the match at 4-5. The Russian blew two match points but it proved third time lucky as she drilled a perfect forehand down the line to clinch victory in two hours and 41 minutes. Pavlyuchenkova, who also made the last eight of the French Open earlier in the year, will next face title favourite Serena Williams.

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Samantha Stosur had to dig deep to finally overcome Maria Kirilenko in an epic encounter. Stosur eventually triumphed 6-2 6-7 (15-17) 6-3 in a match that featured the longest tie-break in a women’s singles match in grand slam history. The 25th seed Kirilenko had fought off five match points and being helped by three correct line call challenges, including two on the same match point. But it was all in vain for Kirilenko as Stosur put the disappointment of failing to close the match out behind her by breaking early in the decider and holding on for victory. In the quarter-finals Stosur will face second seed Vera Zvonareva, who survived what many pundits expected to be a much tougher test against Wimbledon semi-finalist Sabine Lisicki, triumphing 6-2 6-3.

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Gilles Simon’s counterpunching wore down former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro Sunday at Flushing Meadows, as the No. 12 seed outplayed the 2009 titlist 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 7-6(3) in a grueling third-round match on Louis Armstrong Stadium. The 26-year-old whacked 11 more winners than del Potro, while hitting 29 fewer unforced errors to prevail in three hours and 57 minutes, reaching the round of 16 in New York for the first time in his sixth appearance.

“I was break up, 3-2 [in the fourth set], and then I started to play a little bit shaky. Was hitting harder and harder every time,” said Simon. “Finally I started to be tired and it was really hard to play at the end of the match. It was very good to finish in four sets.”

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Next up for Serena Williams will be No.16 seed Ana Ivanovic, who beat American wildcard Sloane Stephens at night, 63 64. “I think it’s exciting, at least for me,” Ivanovic said of the looming match-up. “It’s a tough draw to play her fourth round, I could have had somebody else – but I know I can give her a tough match. She beat me in the past, but maybe I can go for revenge on Monday.” Williams leads Ivanovic in their head-to-head series, 2-0.

Also setting up a fourth round clash were No.1 seed Caroline Wozniacki and No.15 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova. Wozniacki outclassed Vania King, 62 64; Kuznetsova beat Akgul Amanmuradova later on in the day, 64 62. ”Svetlana’s a tough competitor. She can play very aggressive, her serve is big, her forehand too,” Wozniacki said of the Russian. “I will definitely need to play my best. We’ve had quite a few good matches in the past. I think two years ago I played her here in the fourth round, night session, where I was down but came back. I just remember there was a fantastic atmosphere out there.” Wozniacki leads Kuznetsova in their head-to-head series, 4-2.

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It was the sort of match that could have tripped up the pre-2011 Djokovic but, although it was not easy for the world number one, he never looked in any danger. Not that the Serb has any reason to fear anyone after a season that has brought nine titles, including the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and only two defeats. Djokovic, who dropped only two games in the previous round against Carlos Berlocq, began well, breaking Davydenko in the fourth game. The Serb’s powers of defence really are extraordinary and, although Davydenko has made a career of toughing out rallies, his opponent was simply on another level.

Djokovic, who next faces Alexandr Dolgopolov, finished his on-court interview with a dance but he was not entirely happy with his performance. He said: “I played well in the important moments and managed to make crucial breaks in all three sets. He was playing very aggressively and I was aware of that before. I was very passive so I wasn’t really happy with the game. ”I didn’t feel great from the back of the court but I knew what to play and that’s what matters the most.” On 22nd seed Dolgopolov, he added: “He’s an up-and-coming player, he hits the ball really well, really hard. He’s quite similar to Davydenko in that respect. I need to be focused from the first point.”

Eighth seed Mardy Fish did not have things all his own way against 6ft 8in South African Kevin Anderson but he kept his nerve when it counted to win 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-3). The 29-year-old now faces a very tricky test against 11th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who has been in superb form and won a big-hitting contest with Spain’s Fernando Verdasco 6-3 7-5 6-4 on Saturday night.

Federer, meanwhile, will meet Argentina’s Juan Monaco after he ended the run of veteran Tommy Haas, beating the 33-year-old German 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-2 6-3.

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