WASHINGTON -- No. 2 Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., is off to the semifinals at the Citi OPen on Saturday. Raonic, a semifinalist at Wimbledon last month, ended the surprising run of Steve Johnson, eliminating the American 7-6 (2), 6-2. His opposition? The surprising Donald Young. The left-handed American arrived at the hard-court tuneup for the U.S. Open on a four-match losing streak. He was 10-13 this season. He hadnt reached the semifinals at any tour-level event in three years. Young insists he believed in himself -- more than he used to. After four victories in a row, three against seeded opponents, Young is back in an ATP semifinal, getting there by beating No. 7 Kevin Anderson 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2 on Friday at the Citi Open. "Losings not good, and I was doing a lot of that," Young said. "I didnt want to do that anymore. I wanted to try something else." Young, ranked 73rd, hadnt made it this far at a tournament since October 2011, when he was the Thailand Open runner-up. Two months earlier, he got to the semifinals in Washington. When Fridays match ended, Young screamed and slapped his chest with his right palm. Once as high as No. 38, he is projected to get back into the top 50 next week. That would make him the second-highest American man, behind John Isner. "I feel like we have a lot of good players that are knocking at the door around 60, 70, 80, top 100, that are playing well enough to be top 50," Young said. "Its just about having the right results at the right tournaments at the right time." He hasnt done that a whole lot, despite having been pegged for greatness as a teenager. Now 25, Young joked that maybe hes finally at the right age. One thing hes been working on is taking a more positive approach on court, instead of allowing negative thoughts or energy to hold him back. "Its still a work in progress. I still slip back every now and then. But more so than not, Im being a lot more positive," said Young, who is based in Atlanta. "Ive tried being negative. It doesnt work. Ive had a lot of low times, but positive is working well." Johnson beat the tours top two servers, Isner and Ivo Karlovic, in his previous two matches, but he couldnt beat the man who ranks third in that category, Raonic, failing to even earn one break point Friday. No. 6-seeded Richard Gasquet of France reached the semifinals by beating No. 4 Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-1, 6-4. Gasquet faced only one break point, in the final game, and saved it when Nishikori sailed a return long. Next for Gasquet will be No. 10 Santiago Giraldo of Colombia or No. 13 Vasek Pospisil of Vancouver. In womens action, two-time major champion Svetlana Kuznetsova moved into the semifinals when Vania King withdrew from the tournament with a right hip injury. King also pulled out of next weeks tournament in Montreal but doesnt think the injury will prevent her from entering the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 25. The sixth-seeded Kuznetsova now faces No. 2 Ekaterina Makarova, who beat No. 5 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-6 (3), 6-3. The other womens semifinal is Marina Erakovic of New Zealand against Kurumi Nara of Japan. Dale Hawerchuk Jersey . Despite 11-1 records, theyre out and Big Ten winner Ohio State is into the national semifinals. Custom Winnipeg Jets Jerseys . -- San Francisco 49ers offensive co-ordinator Greg Roman is a finalist to replace Joe Paterno at Penn State, his agent said Monday. http://www.jetsauthentic.com/authentic-t...jersey/.Tatjana Haenni, FIFAs head of womens competitions, told a FIFA Live Your Goals Tour news conference Friday that the artificial turf is being tested to make sure it meets standards. Teemu Selanne Jersey .Y. - The Philadelphia Eagles game at Green Bay against the Packers on Nov. Laurie Boschman Jersey .ca. The NHL Play of the Year showdown kicks off with some slick moves going head-to-head with a combination of soft hands and endless patience.STANFORD, Calif. -- Matt Besler and Geoff Cameron might hear it from every angle if they were paying any attention or had a moments spare time. They could be reminded every day that this is the first time since 1990 the U.S. heads to a World Cup with no central defenders having played previous minutes in soccers showcase event. And that makes an already daunting task in Group G much more challenging for the Americans, who face Ghana, Portugal and Germany next month in Brazil. The competition for spots on the Americans back line is fierce, leaving no time to analyze the groups inexperience. "For us, theres nothing we can do about it," Besler said before Sundays training at Stanford Stadium. "We cant change the fact that weve never experienced a World Cup. Were looking at it as a great opportunity. Weve never done it before but everyone is excited and really hungry to prove that we belong here and that we can do well." Nobody knows how the foursome will look for the teams World Cup opener June 16 against Ghana in Natal, yet coach Jurgen Klinsmann will get a glimpse during an exhibition against Azerbaijan on Tuesday night at Candlestick Park. He has several choices for each defensive spot. If there are concerns with Omar Gonzalez, who tweaked his left knee during a May 3 game with the Los Angeles Galaxy against Colorado, Klinsmann might go with Cameron in the middle alongside Besler. Gonzalez has since returned to full training. "I think the competition is healthy, and its definitely alive and well here," Gonzalez said. "Before I got injured, I was probably the fittest Ive been in a very long time." Cameron plays right back for Stoke in the Premier League but insists he only needs a couple of reps at centre back in practice, scrimmages or exhibitions to find a groove again. "When youre playing against Man United, Chelsea, Everton, Tottenham, youre playing all the big boys every single weekend against the best competition, theres no room for mental errors, theres no complaining about how tired you are or this or that because the games come so quick," Cameron said. "For me, it was a learning process the first year. As the second year comes, you get more comfortable, youre confident going into the other stadiums." Besler, the 27-year-old Sporting Kansas City star who was the 2012 MLS Defender of the Year, has played in the middle with both Cameron and Gonzalez. Cameron and Besler very well could start in the centre back spots for the opener. Fabian Johnson or Timmy Chandler might play right back, though Johnson said he has seen regular time there. "I played right back in all the scrimmages so Im ready for this position," Johnson said Sunday. DaMarcus Beasley could be on the left as he looks to become the first American to play in four World Cups. "It iis different playing with different guys.dddddddddddd Everyone has different styles," Besler said. "I think as a team we play the same but when you have different guys back there you have to make little adjustments depending on whos back there. But for me I have experience with both. Ive played in World Cup qualifiers with Geoff, with Omar. I feel comfortable with anyone, really." If midfielder Jermaine Jones is suspended at some point for accumulation of yellow cards, Klinsmann might call upon Johnson in the defensive midfield. While experience on the defence would certainly be preferred at this stage, goalkeeper Tim Howard will help everyone get up to speed. "All things considered, of course youd like to have some guys back there who understand the rhythm and the pacing and the difference of a World Cup," said Alexi Lalas, a starting U.S. defender for the 1994 World Cup, former MLS general manager and current analyst. "This decision was made a long time ago, regardless of the final personnel, you knew you were going to have some World Cup inexperience out there. And we still dont know how the back four is going to look. "With that being decided and the veterans no longer being part of the scene, it was about getting some sort of understanding, communication and comfort with the defence. Thats really a much more important piece considering theres not going to be World Cup experience." Cameron is considered a central defender by Klinsmann. "Ive said that over three years I think his best position is centre back," Klinsmann said. "And its good to know he can play right back, too, and its good to know he can play a No. 6, too. Still I think his best fit, his best game for himself is the centre back role." Klinsmann isnt making a big deal about the teams lack of experience. Only five players among the 23 have appeared in a World Cup. "The plan is to help them in that process, to get in that World Cup with a lot of confidence and being sure that they know what theyre doing. In every training session we will work on those pieces and we will guide them through all the different things that happen during a game, preparing the best way possible for the opponents they face in the group stage already," Klinsmann said of the defence. "Im sure theyre going to be very well prepared and they will be ready for the task. Theres always a first time in life in whatever you do. Its for some the first World Cup, though its the first of hopefully many World Cups to come for them. Im not worried about the inexperience." NOTES: Landon Donovan, cut by Klinsmann on Thursday, broke the Major League Soccer goal record Sunday night. He returned to the LA Galaxy to score his 135th and 136th regular-season goals in a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union. 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