Reilly Opelka, at 6’11”, is the tallest player on the ATP Tour alongside Ivo Karlovic. But the American still has plenty of room to grow, and that’s a good thing for the 21-year-old.

Take his second-round match at the New York Open against Denis Istomin as an example. Opelka struck 32 aces through two sets and one service game in the third set before the Ukrainian retired due to a leg strain. If he kept that pace up, he would have matched Karlovic’s record for most aces in a best-of-three set match with 45. But Opelka wasn’t thrilled with his performance, despite advancing to his third ATP Tour quarter-final.

“I was pretty disappointed with how I played from the baseline today,” Opelka said.

In the first set against Istomin, Opelka won just two of 34 return points. The American said he was cutting short his forehand follow-through and was unable to stay in rallies because of it. That may not seem optimal. But nevertheless, Opelka used his strong serving to hang around, force a decider and advance.

“It’s a good feeling. It’s part of my game. I mean, part of [being] anyone that relies so much on their serve, you can kind of get away with that. Obviously I don’t want to. It’s just not as fun,” Opelka said. “I didn’t even have a sniff on his serve until late in the second set. So from my standpoint, it’s just like I’m just focusing on my serve and I’m going out there and not making a return, not putting any pressure on him. It’s kind of disappointing and it takes some of the excitement out. But at the same time, there’s a positive to it.”

If nothing else, that shows there is room to improve. The 2016 Atlanta semi-finalist says for the past couple of years he has been working especially hard on his forehand and his service return. And while he isn’t completely satisfied with his progress, Opelka cracked the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings for the first time on 19 November 2018 and is currently at a career-high of World No. 89.

“Reilly could be a little negative at times with some of the things he says, but he’s a dangerous guy to play. Nobody likes to play Reilly or John [Isner] or Kevin [Anderson] and these guys who serve like that,” said 10-time ATP Tour titlist Sam Querrey, who is also into the New York quarter-finals. “Reilly kind of goes for broke sometimes and is a scary and dangerous guy to play.

“He seems to be getting into a little bit of a rhythm now with his third quarter-final and the more he keeps winning these matches and putting himself in these situations, his [ATP] Ranking is just going to climb higher and higher and he’s going to be in more main draws of these tournaments. His ceiling’s high. When you serve like that and you’re aggressive as he is, he can beat anyone. Novak doesn’t want to play him right now.”

But for the moment, Opelka is taking it one step at a time. The Florida resident has only played 29 tour-level matches, and he is trying to gain more experience on the ATP Tour. He has won four ATP Challenger Tour titles.

“I want to stay in the Top 100, I want to focus on staying here and having more opportunities at this level because even around 100, you still have to play a good amount on the [ATP Challenger] Tour,” Opelka said. “If I could stay more and have more opportunities on the tour-level, that’s kind of where I want to go.”

While Opelka has time to continue honing his strokes, and he knows that is important, that is not what he believes is the key to spending more time at tour-level.

“I think it’s just being consistent: consistently healthy, consistent emotionally every single week,” Opelka said. “Having a good mindset and being physically able to play and compete is the biggest part.“

If anyone knows what Opelka is going through right now, it’s Isner. While Isner competed at the University of Georgia and Opelka opted to turn professional rather than go to college, the reigning Miami winner and 2018 Nitto ATP Finals qualifier has been in his younger compatriot’s shoes. And as 33-year-old Isner proved last season, there is always time to grow.

“I just think he’s definitely maturing. I think that’s the most important thing. We obviously know what he brings to the table… for a big guy he moves well. Of course he serves extremely well on top of that,” Isner said. “Just like me, he’s a guy that’s going to be in a lot of matches even if he’s really not playing so great, because of his serve. He’s very young… He’s got a lot more years to develop down the road. He’s going to be a force, in my opinion, going forward for a pretty long time.”

Kei Nishikori stretched the best start of his career on Thursday, beating Latvian Ernests Gulbis 6-1, 6-4 to reach the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament quarter-finals in Rotterdam.

The top-seeded Japanese improved to 10-1 on the season, with his only loss coming in the Australian Open quarter-finals against eventual champion Novak Djokovic. Nishikori will next face Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, who beat Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia 7-6(1), 6-1. 

“Today was pretty good… so much better than the first match, for sure,” Nishikori said. “It wasn’t easy… but I think I did really well.”

Gulbis reached the Rotterdam semi-finals in 2014 (l. to Del Potro), but the Latvian was smothered by Nishikori’s aggressive play. Nishikori won the first 12 points of the match and later led 5-0, behind two breaks of serve.

Gulbis slightly recovered in the second, earning a break in the sixth game. But Nishikori broke for the fourth and final time in the ninth game.

Basilashvili, who relies on ruthless hitting, had an off day against Fucsovics, hitting 40 unforced errors, including 23 from his forehand. Fucsovics, meanwhile, was steady, especially in the second set, when he lost only one point behind his first serve (9/10).

It was 16 April, 2018. A blanket of humidity descended on the west coast of Florida, as players and fans scrambled to brave the scorching spring conditions on Day 1 of the Sarasota Open. In other words, it was just your typical afternoon at the ATP Challenger Tour event, with competitors battling to adapt and survive on the green clay. 

But as his Challenger colleagues kicked off the tournament, Juan Ignacio Londero was enjoying a well-deserved day of rest. A large pine tree towered overhead, as he nestled against its trunk, gazing across the courts of the Laurel Oak Country Club. The chaos of opening day echoed throughout the grounds, but a pensive Londero was undeterred, reflecting on the moment that had just changed his career.

“I’ve been trying so hard to earn a title for a long time. This is amazing. It’s been a long process and a difficult one at that.”

At the age of 24, Londero was coming off his first ATP Challenger Tour triumph. A day earlier, he was standing on Centre Court at the CDMX Open in Mexico City, celebrating his biggest victory in front of a sold-out crowd. Not only was he appearing in the first final of his eight-year career, but he had stormed through qualifying to get there, eventually claiming the title with the loss of just one set.

Following his victory in the Mexican capital, Londero was speechless, unable to describe his emotions from the previous week. Ten months later and the Argentine is at a loss for words once again. Another career-altering moment has arrived, but this time on the ATP Tour. 

On Sunday, Londero captured his maiden tour-level crown at his hometown Cordoba Open. In front of friends and family, he would make a splash in his return to the ATP Tour, six years removed from his debut on the circuit. 

“I arrived at the tournament knowing that I was playing well,” Londero said. “I arrived in Cordoba knowing that I could win a few rounds, but I never saw myself in the final or winning the title.”

He was an unseeded wild card who had never won a tour-level match entering the week, so how did Londero suddenly put it all together for such a dream run? Where did he develop his game for his big breakthrough? Look no further than his 2018 campaign on the ATP Challenger Tour. After many years struggling with injuries off the court and consistency between the lines, it finally all came together. Not all paths to stardom are a straight line and Londero is showing his own formula to the top.

Shortest Gap Between First Challenger & ATP Tour Titles (Since 2009)

The Argentine endured a long journey as he fought through years of injury and illness. In 2015, he battled an ailment similar to the mumps, which drained his energy and left him bed-ridden for more than a month and unable to compete for even longer. And when a herniated disc forced him to the sidelines once again, Londero admits that it was one of his lowest moments.

“Before Mexico City, I did not know what the winning form felt like. It was a dozen things that just kept happening to me and I got stuck.”

But something clicked for Londero as he competed on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2018. Mexico City would prove to be the turning point as he battled to a 40-win season, later adding a second crown on the clay of Marburg, Germany, in July. Few players tasted victory as often as Londero, who was one of just three members of the 40-win club, along with Jordan Thompson and Christian Garin. In total, he amassed a 40-17 record, fast becoming one of the more feared competitors on the tour. His 2018 campaign proved to be the springboard to his ATP Tour breakthrough.

“I always knew that I could play at this level,” Londero said after his victory in Cordoba. “I did not see myself as being very far. Last year, I won two Challenger titles, reached another final, and I was trying to make the jump to the ATP Tour. But I never imagined this. It’s incredible to go from playing Challengers to get to this moment.

“Last year, I found my identity on the court and worked hard to find my game. I know how I have to play. Learning that was so important for my career. I was concentrating only on what was going on in the moment and on the court – not on who was winning, what I was doing right or wrong – but focusing on the moment.”

This level of discipline was instilled in Londero by his new coach Andres Schneiter. One of the top coaches on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2018, Schneiter also guided Christian Garin to a 46-15 mark, three titles and a Top 100 debut. Both pupils credit him with changing their mentality on and off the court. That is, channeling their doubts and internal dialogues in a productive manner.

“I have a way of working with my players, where I work to build the mental part first,” said Schneiter. “So that the player is focused and composed on the court and when they are away from it as well.”

Not only did Londero lift his first ATP Tour trophy on Sunday, but he celebrated his Top 100 debut in the process, soaring 43 spots to a career-high No. 69 in the ATP Rankings. Considering he was outside the Top 350 a year ago, it is a staggering achievement. With the opportunity to compete for even bigger prizes in 2019, Londero has his sights set on the Top 50 and beyond.

Arriving at the New York Open, Brayden Schnur had never won a tour-level match (0-5). In fact, the Canadian had only played three matches at ATP Tour events. To make matters worse, Schnur has had the flu for the two weeks.

But none of that has stopped the 23-year-old from playing some of the best tennis of his life. On Wednesday evening, Schnur defeated World No. 34 Steve Johnson for his first victory against an opponent inside the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings, advancing to the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 event.

“It feels great, I’m really happy. I’m really looking forward to going back and calling my parents and celebrating this win with them, and obviously my coach because I’m here alone this week, so I can’t celebrate with anyone here,” Schnur said. “It’s been a long road and I’ve had some really close battles with some Top 50 guys and I didn’t quite get over that hump. So today being down 5-3 in the third and saving some break points at 3-0, sometimes my mind can wander, but I hung tough and stayed in there. I’ll probably just tell them I love them and thanks for always supporting me.”

For a moment, it appeared Schnur would fall short of his big moment. First, Johnson served for the match at 5-3 in the decider. Then Schnur faced two match points on his own serve at 5-6. But calmly, he dismissed the first with an ace and the second with another big first serve, which elicited a return error.

“It’s a hard one. I’m just thinking about taking it one point at a time and in that specific situation I knew I had to make first serves,” said Schnur, who hit 18 aces in the match. “I was serving really well today.”

Schnur’s serve might not be the most orthodox on the ATP Tour, as he doesn’t bounce the ball and his toss is higher than most players’. But it was effective against Johnson, landing 72 per cent of his first serves and winning 76 per cent of those points.

While the qualifier will have his first day off of the tournament after playing matches on four consecutive days, his run is not over yet. Schnur has an opportunity to continue forward against 37-year-old Paolo Lorenzi. The Italian has climbed as high as No. 33 in the ATP Rankings.

“[He’s a] good player,” Schnur said. “My coach will have a really good game plan going into that one. One of my best friends [Filip Peliwo] actually beat him three weeks ago in Newport Beach in the first round [of a Challenger], so I’ll be prepared for that one.”

Schnur entered the week at a career-high World No. 154. But he is projected to climb more than 20 spots next Monday, depending on his results the rest of the event. His effort comes a week after Juan Ignacio Londero lifted the Cordoba Open trophy — the Argentine entered that tournament without a tour-level match win.

“I still have to go back to Challengers after this, depending on how I do here, but it’s obviously huge for me. I don’t get very many chances to play at the ATP level,” Schnur said. “I really had to grind my way from the bottom to get to where I am today and it just shows hard work pays off.”