Mikhail Youzhny in 2005
It turned out to be a disappointing American Open for Mikhail Youzhny, when he tumbled out in the third round, beaten by Xavier Malisse of Belgium 5-7 1-6 6-1 7-5 7-6 (7-1)
Youzhny had been 24th seed and started the tournament with a couple of straight sets victories, but Malisse, who was ranked as high as 19th in August 2003, came back from a two-set deficit, to beat the Russian ace.
On 4 April 2005 James Pyman wrote in the Racing Post:
"...the Moscow born 22-year-old has won just two of his previous ten matches against his compatriots.
"Nikolay Davydenko and Marat Safin have inflicted the most misery on Youzhny. Davydenko has beaten him twice, which includes a demoralising win over Youzhny in the semi-finals of last year's Kremlin Cup in his native city of Moscow, while Safin has also scored two wins over him, the most high-profile being a straight-sets victory in the final of the 2004 Beijing Open...."
However, by the end of August 2005 APT Tennis was making Mikhail Youzhny their 'One to Watch' saying:
"The 23-year-old Russian has enjoyed good form lately, having reached three ATP quarterfinals since the beginning of July. Last week, he took finalist Andy Roddick to three sets in the quarterfinals of the ATP Masters Series event in Cincinnati."
Neverthless Youzhny, troubled by a series of injuries flattered to deceive in the rest of 2005 and never quite fulfilled his promise.
Youzhny in 2008 - Youzhny in 2007 - Youzhny in 2006 - Youzhny biography