It was July 1993. Pete Sampras was embarking on his 286-week reign atop the Emirates ATP Rankings, having claimed his first Wimbledon title.

On the ATP Challenger Tour, a 20-year-old Christian Ruud put Norway on the tennis map as its first titlist. Ruud won back-to-back crowns in Finland and France and would rise to a career-high World No. 39 just two years later.

Fast forward 23 years and the Ruud name is back in the spotlight. On Saturday, Casper Ruud – Christian’s son – rocked the tennis world, capturing his first title in his Challenger debut in Seville, Spain. At 17 years and eight months, he is the fourth-youngest player to win on debut in Challenger history. Only Michael Chang, Richard Gasquet and Jonathan Stark were younger.

Ruud, who opened the season outside the Top 1000, will soar nearly 200 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings to a projected World No. 273. The former junior No. 1 is the youngest winner on the circuit since Alexander Zverev (17 years, 3 months) in Braunschweig, Germany, in 2014.

Thank u thank u thank u guys!!!! Really I dont know what to say, but I couldn’t be more happy right now, amazing week?????????????

— Casper Ruud (@CasperRuud98) September 10, 2016

Opting to begin his professional journey over culminating his junior career at the US Open paid dividends for the Norwegian teen. Ruud proved his mettle throughout the week, marching through qualifying and winning seven matches in eight days, including four from a set down.

He would earn his first Top 150 win in the second round over Andrej Martin, followed by his first Top 100 win in stunning top seed Inigo Cervantes in the quarter-finals. Then came a comeback victory over defending champion Pedro Cachin in the semis, before downing third seed Taro Daniel 6-3, 6-4 in Saturday’s final. Ruud exhibited the composure of a veteran after letting a set and double break lead slip, holding on for the victory after one hour and 22 minutes.

The Oslo native is one of five 17-year-olds to lift a Challenger trophy in the past four years, joining #NextGen stars Zverev, Borna Coric, Taylor Fritz and Nick Kyrgios. He is also just the third Norwegian to emerge victorious in ATP Challenger Tour history, with his father and three-time winner Jan Frode Andersen.

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Jason Jung may have grown up in California, but he’s been excelling in China on the ATP Challenger Tour.

The 27 year old, who now plays for Taiwan, has posted an 11-15 record this year in Challenger events outside of China, but is now 14-2 at events within the country. He won his first Challenger title last month at the $125,000 event in Qingdao, helping push his Emirates ATP Ranking to a career high of No. 158.

Jung will reach a new career high Emirates ATP Ranking after his performance at the $50,000 Challenger in Shanghai. Coming in as the No. 6 seed, he upset top seed Jordan Thompson in the semi-finals on Saturday, 6-4, 6-4. He’ll play a rain-delayed final on Monday against No. 3 seed Henri Laaksonen of Switzerland.

“Most of my best results are in China and there are so many Challenger tournaments here, so it’s really good for me,” said Jung. “Especially in Qingdao, there were so many fans who supported me so much during the week. I like to have them get involved and could really feel that they were with me.”

His breakthrough year is particularly noteworthy because pro tennis wasn’t even in the cards for Jung when he graduated from the University of Michigan. He took a job at an oil company back home in Torrance, California, but found himself laid off after three months and unsure about what path to take.

“My friend suggested I play a big money tournament in Seattle. I had not picked up a tennis racquet since I finished at Michigan. But I went there and tuned everyone up,” wrote Jung in his ATP Challenger Chronicle blog last month. “I surprised myself. After that tournament, I decided I would make a run at the professional circuit.”

Slowly but surely, Jung has continued to climb up the Emirates ATP Rankings over the past five years. Now that he’s consistently making deep runs in ATP Challenger Tour events, he has even bigger goals in store for next year.

“My serve and my movement have gotten a lot better this year. I have a friend on my team who gave me some advice in those areas and it helped a lot,” said Jung. “I want to make it the Top 100 by the end of the year, but think I just need to continue to play like I have been.”

They say a sequel is seldom as good as the original, but Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka are doing their best to dispel that notion.

A rivalry that has gotten stronger with every passing battle, the Serbian and the Swiss are set to clash for the seventh time in a Grand Slam setting in Sunday’s US Open final. Djokovic owns their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 19-4, but the World No. 1’s sizeable lead is no reflection on the high intensity and drama that has consumed their encounters in recent years.

“I haven’t played Stan in some time now,” said Djokovic. “But he’s a big match player. He loves to play on the big stage against big players, because that’s when he elevates his level of performance in his game. He gets much better.”

“To play Novak, the No. 1 player, is always really challenging,” Wawrinka said. “But we’ve had some big matches together, especially in Grand Slams… Some amazing matches, for sure. The secret is simple: I have to play my best tennis, my best game. He’s the No. 1 player, an amazing fighter and an amazing player. Mentally, he’s a beast. It’s not easy to play him. I’m sure he’s going to bring his best tennis for the final.”

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Glance At The Finalists

To say that Djokovic and Wawrinka bring out the best in each other’s games on the biggest stages would be an understatement. Four of their past five major meetings have gone the distance, with the lone exception being the 2015 Roland Garros final, where Wawrinka exhibited a stunning shotmaking display to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires and dramatically deny Djokovic the career Grand Slam.

But it was two years prior, when Djokovic and Wawrinka took the court in a Round of 16 meeting at the 2013 Australian Open that the rivalry truly blossomed. An intense, high-octane battle from first ball to match point, Djokovic would prevail 12-10 in the fifth set after five hours. Wawrinka punctuated the fourth set with a forehand down the line after an outrageous rally and broke to open the decider, but Djokovic would draw level and eventually cap a 20-shot exchange with a backhand pass on his third match point.

Mutual admiration for the heroic performance was on display as both competitors collapsed into each other’s arms at the net. But that was just the beginning. Later that year, Wawrinka would reach his first major semi-final at the US Open and once again he and Djokovic would tangle for five riveting sets, with the Serbian eventually emerging.

“I think the matchup has always been interesting to see because the way we are playing,” Wawrinka added. “I’m trying to be aggressive. I can play really hard. He is an amazing defender. And also, [look back at] where we started. We started with a five-set match in Australia a few years ago. It was 12-10. I was maybe one of the only players who started to dominate in the first two sets and didn’t finish it. I was dominating the match.

“And then if you look, I played my first semi-final in a Grand Slam against him here that year and again it went five sets. So for sure the fact that we played some long matches and some crazy battles makes it something different.”

Grand Slam Finals (Open Era)

Djokovic reeled off a pair of straight-set victories at the BNP Paribas Masters and Barclays ATP World Tour Finals to conclude the 2013 season, but his surge of momentum would be short-lived. They once again squared off at the Australian Open, this time in the 2014 quarter-finals, and Wawrinka would announce his arrival. The Swiss stunned the Serbian 9-7 in the fifth set, en route to his first Grand Slam title. For Wawrinka, it was the moment that launched him from Top 20 threat to big title contender and catapulted the rivalry to seismic proportions.

“He’s such a powerful player,” Djokovic said to the assembled media following his semi-final victory over Gael Monfils on Friday. “He has a big serve and probably the best, most effective one-handed backhand in the world now. He can play it all. He has that variety in his game. He can be very dangerous for everybody.”

Djokovic exacted revenge on Wawrinka at Melbourne Park in 2015, prevailing 6-0 in the fifth set in the semi-finals, before succumbing in the Roland Garros championship. The World No. 1 would have the last word with wins at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Cincinnati and Paris. That was their last encounter and both are eager to renew the rivalry on Sunday in New York

“When you play Novak, the No. 1 player in the final of Grand Slam, it’s the biggest challenge you can have,” Wawrinka said. “I think it’s going to give me confidence to tell myself that I know I can do it, because I did it at the French Open final. He knows that I can play my best tennis in the final of Grand Slam. But it’s going to be a completely different match.

“I have enough confidence in myself that when I play my best level, I can beat him.”

Entering with a perfect 2-0 record in Grand Slam finals, Wawrinka is seeking his 15th title at the tour-level. The 31 year old is looking to become the fifth man in the Open Era to win two or more major singles crowns after turning 30, joining Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Andre Agassi and Jimmy Connors.

Meanwhile, Djokovic is appearing in his 21st Grand Slam final, passing Rafael Nadal for solo second place on the Open Era list. He is vying for a 13th title, which would put him one behind Nadal and Pete Sampras. The top seed is well aware of what’s at stake.

“The last couple of matches [Wawrinka] is getting in the shape that is winning him big matches. I lost to him in the final of the French Open and I lost to him in quarter-finals of the Australian Open when he won, as well.

“So both of these Grand Slams he won against me on the way. I know right now he believes in himself more. He doesn’t get too stressed by the bigger occasion… I want to be able to put myself in position to fight for the trophy. My thoughts are on Sunday’s match.”