ATP World Tour rising star Jared Donaldson secured his biggest win of 2017. Find out what the young American phenom did at Coupe Rogers.
The ATP World Tour has a glaring dearth of American players near the top of the rankings. There are a number of intriguing young players with high-level potential, however, including the highest ranked American on the Race to Milan rankings: Jared Donaldson.
On the first official day of Coupe Rogers 2017 in Montreal, Donaldson continued his ascension by securing his biggest victory of the 2017 calendar year.
Donaldson drew fellow rising star Lucas Pouille in the Round of 64. Pouille, 23, is ranked No. 18 in the world, and has already made the quarterfinals at two Grand Slam tournaments: Wimbledon 2016 and the 2016 US Open.
Despite entering the match as the heavy underdog, it was Donaldson who pulled out the victory in this clash of promising young players: 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (10-8).
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Aside from a walkover victory over Milos Raonic, this is Donaldson’s first victory of 2017 over a played ranked in the Top 20 on the ATP World Tour.
For those unfamiliar, Donaldson is a 20-year-old American from Providence, Rhode Island. Standing at 6’2″ with a strong serve and a passionate approach to the game, he looks the part of a future star.
Having been coached by the likes of Taylor Dent and Mardy Fish, Donaldson’s roots in the American tennis community are solid.
Fresh off of reaching the third round at Wimbledon, Donaldson is taking those tools and beginning to find his form.
Donaldson’s breakthrough in Montreal couldn’t have come at a better time. The US Open is mere weeks away, and the 20-year-old has already achieved a measure of momentum at the event after advancing to the third round in 2016.
It was at the 2016 US Open that Donaldson achieved the previous two biggest wins of his career: 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-0 over David Goffin, and 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 over Viktor Troicki.
Donaldson will look to build upon that success at the 2017 US Open, at which he should have a fair measure of momentum.
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As far as the Coupe Rogers is concerned, Jared Donaldson will meet Benoit Paire in the Round of 32. If he defeats Paire, he could be on a collision course for a match with Dominic Thiem.