Former World No. 1 and International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Gustavo Kuerten carried the Olympic torch into Maracaña stadium at the Rio Summer Games. Other ATP World Tour players featured during the opening ceremony included Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Gilles Muller, who respectively carried the flags for Great Britain, Spain and Luxembourg.

Kuerten, a beloved figure in Brazil, held the top spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings for a total of 43 weeks between December 2000 and November 2001. He won Roland Garros three times (1997, 1999, 2001) and also prevailed at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in 2000, becoming the only player to defeat Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in the same event. Kuerten won 20 ATP World Tour singles titles and eight ATP World Tour doubles titles throughout her career.

Kuerten retired from the ATP World Tour at Roland Garros in 2008. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012 and named its Global Ambassador this June. Kuerten has also been active in philanthropy with his Institute Guga Kuerten, which offers programming for children and disabled people.

Wild card Reilly Opelka reached his first ATP World Tour semi-final after downing Atlanta native Donald Young 6-4, 6-4 at the BB&T Atlanta Open on Friday. The 18 year old won his third consecutive tour-level singles match after going 0-2 to start his career and is the tallest player on the ATP World Tour at 6’11”, tied with Ivo Karlovic.

“In the first set, he had a couple of break points. I was able to step up with some big serves,” Opelka said. “Then I started serving even better, and he barely had any chances in the second set. I have a lot of belief in my game and in my level right now.

“I’ve been doing a really good job with my movement, winning points on my opponent’s serve. The way I am serving now, I know I can at least get to a tie-break. But being able to hit good returns and passing shots is huge.”

Watch Video From 2016 BB&T Atlanta Open

Opelka’s serve remains his most powerful weapon, accounting for 10 aces on the day. However, the Michigan native was also able to rely on his return of serve to put Young on the back foot. Opelka won 12 of 20 points against Young’s second delivery and broke his opponent twice in the 71-minute win.

In an all-American semi-final, Opelka will face top seed John Isner or #NextGen player Taylor Fritz.

#NextGen Frances Tiafoe has already reached two ATP Challenger Tour finals this summer and he’s now one match away from completing a three-peat.

The 18-year-old American is into the semi-finals of the $100,000 Challenger in Granby, Canada, where he is the fourth seed. On Friday, he weathered a late surge from Andrew Whittington of Australia to record a convincing quarter-final victory, 6-0, 7-6(4).

Tiafoe reached Challenger finals last month on American soil in Winnetka (l. Nishioka) and Lexington (l. Escobedo). But while he’s happy with his success this summer, he isn’t overwhelmed by it.

“I’d say this summer has met my expectations, but not exceeded them,” said Tiafoe. “I’ve been working hard and figuring out the way I need to play. I’m happy to start having consistent results. I’ve been in a lot of Challenger finals, but I’d make one and then it’d be a few months before the next one. To reach two of them in two weeks is great.”

Part of his most recent success can be chalked up to experience. Now that he’s in his second full year on tour, he has a clear idea of what he needs to do to reach the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings and continue climbing from there.

“It definitely feels easier. I know what to expect and how to manage myself now,” said Tiafoe. “I’m just trying to serve better, stay solid from the ground and compete point by point, without losing focus. Sometimes I go in and out mentally and that’s when life can get tricky.

Tiafoe has already reached five ATP Challenger Tour finals, including four in the past calendar year, but is well aware he’s still looking for his first Challenger title. The American is confident he’ll break through with his maiden Challenger win soon and thinks it could even happen as soon as Sunday.

“I’m really liking Granby,” said Tiafoe. “It’s a very nice stadium with big crowds and everything is pretty easy here. It feels like I’m playing at home.”

For top American juniors, 5 August 2016 marks the beginning of a great adventure. The USTA Boys’ 18s National Tournament, held in Kalamazoo, Michigan each August, is the Holy Grail of junior tennis in the United States. Each year, 192 aspiring collegiate and professional players descend from all corners of the country to do battle over a 10-day span, in an attempt to win a wild card into the main draw of the US Open. ATPWorldTour.com caught up with four outstanding Kalamazoo alumni, who recounted their favourite anecdotes from the annual classic.

Querrey: The More Things Change…

Sam Querrey, the 2005 Boys’ 18s singles finalist, only took part in the tournament once. After losing in three sets to top seed Donald Young, the lanky Californian took his power game to the pro ranks. The most outstanding ATP World Tour player of Kalamazoo’s Class of 2005, Querrey’s career highlights includes reaching No. 17 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in 2011, winning eight ATP World Tour titles and defeating World No. 1 Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon earlier this year.

“It was definitely the biggest tournament of my junior career. Winning gets you a wild card into the US Open, so there is so much on the line. It really feels like a Grand Slam for an American junior player,” said Querrey, who noted that Kalamazoo’s daunting 192-player draw is larger than that of any professional event.

Despite sweeping the 2004 Boys’ 16s singles and doubles titles and entering the 2005 Boys’ 18s tournament seeded second, the Thousand Oaks native had not considered going all-in on tennis until his late teens. Ironically, this easy-going attitude helped develop the explosive, free-swinging style which has allowed him to keep pace with the best in the world for a decade and counting.

“Sam kind of came out of nowhere. He was not really a top junior in the 14s and 16s, then all of a sudden, he was one of the best guys out there,” said Tim Smyczek. “Back then, he could really blast people off the court. He plays the exact same way now, except a lot better.”

“My attitude and demeanor have never changed. But I take it much more seriously now. It’s a career rather than something that I do for fun, which is how I saw it back then. At the same time, I enjoy it more now than when I was younger,” added Querrey. “If I had to give advice to a player competing at Kalamazoo this year, I’d tell him to enjoy the moment. It’s probably the coolest junior tournament out you’ll get to experience. You play in front of thousands of people and it might well be the biggest stage you’ll ever play on, so have fun.”

Young: Unlocking The Potential

A decade ago, Atlanta, Georgia’s Donald Young was hailed as The Next Great Thing in American tennis. The 2005 and 2006 Boys’ 18s singles champion has worked hard to translate his creative left-handed game to the ATP World Tour ranks, reaching No. 38 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in 2012 and earning more than $3 million in prize money.

“Only a handful of players in every birth year are able to make the Top 100 and enjoy a long pro career,” said Querrey, who noted that most sporting phenoms are held to unreasonably high standards when it comes to their professional futures. “Donald has had a very good career; you’d have to be crazy to say otherwise.”

“It’s a big change from going deep in almost every tournament as a junior to often being ‘one and done’ at the pro level,” said Young, who owns three victories over Top 10 players (Andy Murray, Gael Monfils and Tomas Berdych) since turning pro in 2004. “Since winning in Kalamazoo, the main difference in my game is that I’ve gotten stronger. Not just physically but mentally. I’ve become a lot better at handling the different dynamics in the game from 16 to 27 now, though I am still working on my mental game.

“Life was simple as a junior. I was still living at home, without a lot of responsibilities. Life changes a lot as you become an adult. You become a home owner, you develop relationships,” said Young of the off-court challenges associated with choosing tennis as a career. “You have to grow up and become more independent.”

Smyczek: Finding A Way

Milwaukee, Wisconsin is by no means a tennis hotbed. But for 2006 Boys’ 18s third-place finisher Tim Smyczek, the city provided the right environment for his sporting ambitions.

“I played a lot of sports growing up,” said Smyczek, the son of a basketball coach. “Tennis is such a one-sided sport that it promotes a lot of imbalances in the body, so I used different sports in order to develop as an athlete.”

While Querrey and Young had already developed pro-ready games at 17, it took some time for Smyczek to find the right tactical mix.

“It took me a long time to figure out what type of player I am. In juniors I really had no idea,” the 5’9” Smyczek said. “Back then, I didn’t play like a small guy, I went for winners a lot more and played more aggressively. That’s why it took me a bit longer to put it together. Some other guys had a better idea of how they want to play tennis early on.

“Now, I give myself the opportunity to use my legs and my speed. If I’m going for winners, I’m taking away from my own strength,” said Smyczek, who reached his career-best ranking of No. 68 last year at the age of 27.

Looking back on his Kalamazoo experience, Smyczek identified a specific turning point: “In 2004, my first year in the 18s, I lost in the fourth round but won the back draw. It was ridiculous, I played something like 10 or 12 matches in the same week. That was pretty cool.

“You see a lot of top juniors who lose and then pull out of the consolation draw. When I was in juniors, I really tried to think about development, so it was important for me to get those extra matches in. That’s what junior tennis should be about, playing a lot of matches and learning how to compete.

“Lots of kids get caught up in the wrong things in juniors. If you think about those things in the pros, it’s going to affect your livelihood. Things such as: ‘He beat me, therefore he is going to be recruited higher.’ Or: ‘Is that agent paying attention to me?’ Most pros have a better idea of what to focus on and don’t spend a lot of time thinking about unproductive things. They focus on developing as a player and doing the right things on the court. Then the results will take care of themselves.”

Levine: Life After Tennis

For Jesse Levine, real life is just beginning. The Canadian-born, Florida-raised left-hander played his last competitive match in 2014 and was forced into retirement due to an elbow injury. Since the end of his playing career, Levine has remained close to tennis, working as a talent scout for Nike, starting his broadcasting career with Sportsnet’s Rogers Cup coverage and coaching ATP and WTA Tour players.

“[Even in retirement], I’ll never lose the same competitive spirit I had back then. Whether it’s playing tennis or hockey recreationally now, I don’t like to lose in anything,” said Levine, who reached No. 69 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in 2012.

“I’ve realised how lucky and blessed I have been to have played in that environment,” said Levine, who cites his 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-4 Boys’ 18s semi-final win over Smyczek in 2006 as his best Kalamazoo memory. “Smyczek, Young, Querrey; we had a great group of guys around the same age who really pushed each other. I have a connection with all of them just from playing all the years of juniors and on the ATP World Tour together.”

Like the vast majority of players laying it all on the line in Kalamazoo this August, Levine will end his tennis journey without an ATP World Tour title to his name. However, he believes that success is relative. It is the battles, the friendships and the memories that matter.

“Success for me was just giving everything I got day in and day out, throughout my junior and pro career. Not many people get to say they played tennis as their job; I got to do that for nine years. That’s success to me.”

#NextGen star Yoshihito Nishioka reached his maiden ATP World Tour semi-final on Friday at the BB&T Atlanta Open, recording his most convincing win of the week over Horacio Zeballos, 6-4, 6-4.

Nishioka opened the match by breaking Zeballos and held his slight lead throughout the rest of the set. The 20-year-old baseliner dropped just three points on serve in the opening set and denied his Argentine opponent any break point chances.

The second set was identical to the first, with Nishioka breaking his opponent to love in the opening game and only dropping three points on serve to take the match.

Nishioka, No. 97 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, cracked the Top 100 last month after winning the ATP Challenger Tour event in Winnetka, Illinois. He also reached the quarter-finals of the Memphis Open in February.

Next up for the Japanese star is the winner of the match between second seed Nick Kyrgios and fifth seed Fernando Verdasco.

It is every NBA fan’s dream: Build your team. Forget the modern-day restrictions, such as the salary cap. No worrying about free agency or building a team to last. Out of the current NBA players, just choose the best starting five.

We assigned Nick Kyrgios this task, and the #NextGen star struggled with some positions – shooting guard – more than others. He also admitted his bias when he chose one particular aging former Boston Celtic. But once his decisions were made and his team built, the 21-year-old Aussie, No. 18 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, also made a guarantee: His team, if assembled, would dominate everyone and win an NBA title.

“Yeah, 100 per cent,” Kyrgios said. “You can’t lose with that team.”

Small Forward: LeBron James

The Selection: Kyrgios grabbed James off the board first, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ recent NBA championship likely front of mind. James, widely thought of as the best player in the NBA, also has reached the past six NBA finals, and has been on the winning side of three of them.

The Rationale: “I feel like he’s the best all-around player in the NBA. Hands down,” Kyrgios said.

Point Guard: Kyrie Irving

The Selection: To run the show, Kyrgios chose James’ Cleveland running mate, Irving, who, with James, helped the Cavaliers win their first NBA title in 52 years last June. The 24 year old also was born in Melbourne and holds dual Australian and U.S. citizenship.

The Rationale: “Him and LeBron, they’ve got unbelievable chemistry,” Kyrgios said. “And they’ve already been through a lot together, obviously winning a championship.”

Shooting Guard: Klay Thompson

The Selection: Kyrgios hemmed and hawed more with this position than any of the five. “I’ll probably take, umm, I feel like, oh man this is tough,” he said before burying his head in his hand.

Finally, he chose his first non-Cleveland Cavalier: Golden State Warrior Thompson, one of the best three-point shooters in the league. Thompson would be playing with two of his rivals in James and Irving, but Kyrgios didn’t think that’d be a problem.

The Rationale: “He doesn’t really have to have the ball too much. I think he can just shoot from anywhere as well,” Kyrgios said. “He’s a humble guy and he’s pretty cool as well.”

Power Forward: Kevin Garnett

The Selection: Kyrgios admittedly let his bias slip into this pick. He started the choice off with a question: “Does it have to be past or present?” When we decided on just present NBA players, he still chose Garnett, a 21-year veteran. The 6’11”, 40 year old played for Kyrgios’ favourite NBA team, the Boston Celtics, and won an NBA title in the green and white (2008).

The Rationale: “He might not have that much to offer anymore on the offensive end, [but] I think he’s a great leader. He’s the type of guy that you’d love to have on your team and you hate to play against,” Kyrgios said. “He’s an unbelievable competitor. That’s a bit biased probably, but I’ll take him.”

Center: DeMarcus Cousins

The Selection: To help Garnett down low, Kyrgios decided to bring in some youth in Sacramento Kings big man Cousins, who stands at 6’11” and weighs 270 pounds. Last season, the 25 year old was an NBA All-Star and averaged almost 27 points and 12 rebounds a game.

The Rationale: “I’m a massive fan of DeMarcus Cousins,” Kyrgios said. “I think he’s the greatest talent in that position. As long as he’s focused and he puts his mind to it, I think he’s unstoppable.”

Coach: Brad Stevens

The Selection: Kyrgios may have let his Celtics passion slip into this pick as well, although Stevens, the Celtics coach, is widely respected and has quickly turned around Boston’s NBA squad. They went 25-57 in his first season but have made the playoffs the past two years.

The Rationale: “They were the underdogs and they really pushed through, and I think that comes down to the coaching staff,” Kyrgios said. “Brad Stevens did a great job. The Celtics are just the team to beat.”

Video: Watch Kyrgios Make His Selections

NBA TV’s Steve Smith Weighs In

We ran Kyrgios’ picks past someone who knows NBA talent: Former NBA player Steve Smith. The current NBA TV host played 14 seasons in the league and won a title with the 2002-03 San Antonio Spurs. He also met and shot some hoops with Kyrgios at the NBA TV studio in Atlanta earlier this week.

“I think it’s a very good team,” Smith said. “It’s balanced. You have veteran leadership. You have a player that can post up, in Cousins. And obviously you have the ultimate playmaker and just basketball mind in LeBron James… I mean, how can you go wrong with that team?”

Basketball Dream Team of ATP World Tour Stars

Kyrgios, who tries to play basketball in between tennis matches, also had some fun choosing the best starting five comprised of ATP World Tour stars. Disclosure: He chose his starting five fresh off some two-on-two hoops with Reilly Opelka, Christopher Eubanks and #NextGen star Taylor Fritz in Atlanta while playing in the BB&T Atlanta Open.

Center: 6’11” Reilly Opelka, 18-year-old American

“He’s practically unguardable,” Kyrgios said. “I’ve played a lot of basketball players and I’ve played a lot of tennis players. He’s definitely one of the best ones I’ve seen.”

Power Forward: 6’7” Christopher Eubanks, 20-year-old American

“The guy can shoot the lights out.”

Small Forward: 6’4” Gael Monfils, 29-year-old Frenchman

“Good athlete that can just go to the rim all day.”

Shooting Guard: 6’3” Jack Sock, 23-year-old American

“He can shoot pretty well.”

Point Guard: Himself

“I can play.”

Sixth Man: 6’4” Taylor Fritz, 18-year-old American

“He played well,” Kyrgios said after their games.

Veteran Leader/Coach: 6’10” John Isner, 31-year-old American

“I hear that he can play. I’ve never seen him before, but I think he’s a good veteran that can lead us.”

Nearly a decade after Hyung-Taik Lee became the first Korean player to reach the Top 50 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, Duckhee Lee appears ready to soon do the same.

The 18 year old posted the best result of his young career by reaching the semi-finals of the $125,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Chengdu, China. On Thursday, he ousted fellow teenager local favourite and fellow teenager Fajing Sun in the quarter-finals, 6-4, 6-4.

Lee also reached the semi-finals of the Challenger held last June in Fergana, Uzbekistan. His strong results this summer are an admittedly stark contrast from last year, when he underwent a steep learning curve as he got used to competing against world-class players.

“I played Challengers last year and felt like it was too tough,” he admitted. “I’m up against players who are working hard and not making any mistakes. But I said to myself that I can do it.”

Lee’s accomplishments are even more impressive because he was born deaf. Although he can hear vibrations, he relies completely on hand gestures and the scoreboard because he can’t hear line calls or the umpire call out the score.

But ironically, not being able to hear most things actually serves as a benefit on the court for Lee because he can block out most distractions.

“My hearing difficulty does help me to focus on my own play and match,” he said to ATPWorldTour.com in July 2015.

Lee’s goal for 2016 is to finish inside the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, but he has much loftier ambitions for the rest of his career.

“I want to be the top player in Asia like Kei Nishikori,” said Lee. “But I like Nishikori, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer. I can’t pick just one.”