Glory Rhode: U.S. teen pulls upset

With the stability of the American men’s game — or lack thereof — being a constant theme at the U.S. Open, it was teenage qualifier Jared Donaldson of Rhode Island who pulled off the biggest upset of the day, knocking off 12th-seeded David Goffin 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-0.

It marked Donaldson’s first victory over a top-30 player, and first win in a Grand Slam event. That it happened so close to his home — cozy Court 17, less than three hours from Glocester, R.I. — just made it extra sweet for the 19-year-old.

“Obviously it was a really, really exciting atmosphere out there. I thought that I played really well. It was tough conditions. It was hot,’’ Donaldson said. “I just was able to win a few more of the key points today. Obviously that fourth set I played really well. I think it was a really, really special victory for me.”

And a surprisingly commanding one. Snubbed for a wild card, Donaldson served his way through three qualifying wins without dropping a set. But few could’ve expected him to storm back after dropping the first set and — after eking out the second set — steadily grow in confidence until he dominated the fourth.

“After the second set, I felt honestly like I stole that set, broke back at 4-2 or something like that, then just kept holding, kept fighting,’’ Donaldson said.

“I think after winning that second set, it gave me a little bit of confidence, especially after being a break down. … I knew if I was down two sets to love, that was going to be a tall order. But I just kept fighting and kept doing what I try to do every match, control things I can control.”

A shoulder injury had knocked Donaldson out of three grass-court Challengers and Wimbledon qualifying. But he looked as healthy as Goffin did flat. Goffin had 17 double-faults on a middling serve that averaged just 99 mph.

“Especially in the fourth set, I was trying to be very aggressive on the second serve, make points quick. In general that’s kind of how I play,’’ Donaldson said. “I knew I had to take my chances and play aggressive when the opportunity presented itself because I wanted to take time away from him and rush him, not have it be the other way around.”

Up 3-0 in the fourth, he earned his second break to go up 4-0. He held, and with an audacious drop shot giving him triple match-point, Goffin’s return sailed long to give Donaldson a second-round date vs. Viktor Troicki. The Serb is ranked 32nd in the world.