Allen St. John's recently posted piece on Donald Young doesn't shy away from what he terms "the full-fledged backlash" that Young's hype has caused. It was obviously written before the disappointing Wimbledon Junior result, which is just the latest in a long line of big junior tournaments where he hasn't advanced as far as his seeding. His win at the Easter Bowl in April established that he was still king of the U.S. junior hill, but the age eligibility in Palm Springs eliminated some formidable players who will be eligible to play Kalamazoo next month.
Young is entered, as are these top U.S. juniors who did not play the Easter Bowl, but have instead been playing the Pro Circuit: Alex Clayton, Marcus Fugate, Jesse Levine, Mike McClune, Holden Seguso, Tim Smyczek. In fact five of the eight 2005 quarterfinalists in the 18s are expected to play again this year, drawn by that precious U.S. Open main draw wildcard. Notably absent will be last year's finalist Sam Querrey, who though still age-eligble, has risen over 800 spots in the ATP rankings since last year at this time (to 207) and will almost certainly be given a main draw wild card into the Open. Has Young's progress stalled? His performance in Kalamazoo this year will go a long way toward answering that question.