Jared Donaldson defeated Viktor Troicki 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the third round of the US Open for the first time. The 19-year old American has now won five matches in Flushing Meadows after coming through qualifying. He didn’t have it all his own way, though as Troicki quickly jumped ahead, breaking in the fourth game for a 3-1 lead. A love hold stretched his lead to 4-1, but Donaldson recovered and broke in the seventh game to get the set back on serve. He took the lead with another break to go up 6-5. He closed out the set in the next game to take it 7-5 and with it, a one set lead.
Jared Donaldson Puts on a Clinic to defeat Viktor Troicki in the Second Round of the US Open
The second set saw Donaldson quickly assume a 3-0 lead on the strength of two breaks, the second coming in a marathon 20 point game. Troicki then called the trainer for blisters on his left foot and after receiving treatment, immediately broke to love. The rest of the set was routine until the last game when Donaldson broke to win the set 6-3 and take a two set lead.
The key game of the third set was the third game when Donaldson saved three break points to hold for a 2-1 lead. The Serb was made to pay for his wastefulness as he was broken in the sixth game to claim a 4-2 advantage. He held the rest of the way to win the third set 6-3 and advance to the third round against 21st seed Ivo Karlovic.
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Against the Croat, Donaldson will be facing someone very different than either of his first two opponents in 12th seed David Goffin or Troicki. Whereas the Belgian and Serb want to use their backhands to set up long rallies, Karlovic will want to dictate with his big serve and stellar net play. The key for the young American will be to stay patient and try to make Karlovic work, go to his backhand and hold his own serve.
Karlovic usually wins sets with one break or in tiebreakers and although Donaldson has recovered from slow starts in both of his wins in the main draw, falling behind against the 21st seed is a recipe for disaster. Donaldson was masterful in neutralizing Troicki’s strength, which is his backhand and using his own backhand as a weapon. Doing this allowed the 19-year old to utilized every other advantage he had over the Serb and Donaldson has shown the ability to stay patient, construct points and play and win long rallies, a trait not often seen in young power players these days.
Karlovic hasn’t faced a player with this firepower yet and his own return of serve is questionable at times, especially on the backhand. His willingness to come to net will give Donaldson a target to use his powerful groundstrokes and try to pass the Croat. Finally, the pressure is all on Karlovic. He’s the veteran expected to win this. Donaldson has had a magnificent run in New York City, coming out of qualifying to pull off two upsets and he’ll be able to use the crowd to his advantage on Court 17, a stadium known for hosting matches such as this one.
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