Dent takes bite out of Navarro, keeps comeback on track at US Open

Dent keeps comeback story going at US Open

NEW YORK — After 4 hours, five sets and a match he won’t soon forget, Taylor Dent grabbed the umpire’s microphone and thanked the raucous U.S. Open crowd.

Really, though, they should have been thanking him.

Dent kept his inspiring comeback story on track with a crowd-pleasing victory over Spain’s Ivan Navarro. The score: 6-4, 5-7, 6-7 (1), 7-5, 7-6 (9).

The American won on his fourth match point, with a backhand return winner past Navarro that brought the fans at the Grandstand court to their feet. Really, they had been on their feet through most of this match, a tussle between a pair of serve-and-volleyers who played a lot of short points and high-risk, high-reward tennis.

Dent had a bigger game. He finished with 121 winners and 50 unforced errors, with his serve topping out at 147 mph. One of his serves, a 138-mph offering, broke the strapping on the net and caused a 7-minute delay.

None of this, of course, seemed possible two years ago when the 28-year-old, once ranked as high as No. 21, was bedridden with a back injury that some doctors said would never allow him to play tennis again.

He underwent delicate surgery and proved them wrong.

“When they told me I had the opportunity to play tennis again, how could I pass that up?” he said. “A select few get to play professional sports. It would have been naive and irresponsible of me to not try to capitalize and come out here and give it my best.”

Ranked 195th and playing in his first U.S. Open since 2005, Dent’s best has been good enough so far.

Next up, though, is a third-round match against No. 2 Andy Murray. He’ll be a huge underdog. He has overcome these kind of odds before.

“It’s going to be rough, there’s no way around it,” Dent said. “My execution is not where I want it to be, but that’s not going to stop me from battling. That’s how I won today. Even if it’s 6-0, 6-0, 6-0, I’m going to go out and hustle and give everything I’ve got.”