Blake pushed to five sets in first-round win

By Larry Fine

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ninth-seeded American James Blake was pushed to five sets by compatriot Donald Young before completing a 6-1 3-6 6-1 4-6 6-4 victory to bring the curtain down on Monday's opening day at the U.S. Open.

Blake looked poised to make quick work of Young, leading two sets to one and up 2-0 in the fourth before the slender left-hander caught fire.

Young battled Blake fiercely to level the set at 2-2, breaking the 28-year-old's serve on his seventh break point of the game and breaking again in the 10th game to force a fifth set.

Blake, twice an Open quarter-finalist, claimed the only service break of the final set in the ninth game, taking a 5-4 lead when the 102-ranked Young sailed a forehand long.

He ended the two-hour, 48-minute slugfest on his second match point, when Young, playing his first career five-setter, netted a backhand.

"Donald really picked up his game and really played great toward end of the match," said Blake, who committed 50 unforced errors in the match.

(Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)