Ryan Harrison once appeared to be the future of American tennis. As a qualifier at the 2010 US Open, an 18-year-old Harrison beat No. 15 seed Ivan Ljubicic in the first round. Despite his ATP Ranking sitting at No. 220 at the time, the big-serving teenager proved he belonged.

So it was no surprise that the right-hander soared as high as World No. 43 within two years. What was a shock was how quickly Harrison fell away. From 18 November 2013 until 12 September 2016, Harrison remained outside the Top 100.

“I would have told [that Ryan] to have fun, enjoy those moments, even when you have tough losses,” Harrison told ATPWorldTour.com earlier this year. “Enjoy moments that you’re able to be a part of and make sure that you measure your own game and your own expectation of yourself with just you and your team. Don’t let the hype and all this stuff that can pile on and feel like a monkey on your back get you.”

Harrison held three match points in the second round of that US Open against then-World No. 36 Sergiy Stakhovsky before bowing out. That same player went six years before advancing to the third round of a Slam for the first time. Harrison did not make an ATP World Tour final until last February, either.

But last season is when everything changed. Harrison, who says he has lost many close matches due to mental lapses rather than physical differences on the court, broke through to claim his maiden tour-level title at the former Memphis Open in 2016. The 26-year-old has reached two more championship matches since, and is one match from reaching his fourth final, at the BB&T Atlanta Open.

It’s only fitting that this week, he has battled from a set down in all three of his matches.

“There are the days when tennis is made for you, when you go out there and everything feels perfect and I hit three or four aces, serve out the match. It’s comfortable. It’s easy. But everyone has those sorts of moments where you miss your spots and you feel a little tentative,” Harrison said. “A year ago, two years ago, three years ago, [winning these matches] was just something that I wasn’t able to do.”

Sure, Harrison is at World No. 53 and has not dropped out of the Top 60 since last February. But the 6’1” right-hander is not focused on any hype or expectations that have come with that success.

“My number one goal that I focus on every day is getting the best out of what I’ve got that day,” Harrison said. “My goal is not performance-based now. And I believe in my game and my ability that if I control that, the tennis is going to take care of itself.”

Harrison is on the rise once again. But this time, as a different player.

“When you get to a point in your career when you have been very successful and then you have a number of setbacks and they last for a period of time and then you’re able to break back through and you change things around, it’s almost like I know what the other option entails,” Harrison said. “I know that it’s not where I want to be. I’ve been down that road. It’s not a successful one… all I can do is learn from my mistakes and I’m fortunate that I’m still only 26 and tennis is going to, Ivo Karlovic is 39, so I’ve still got some wins ahead.

“I’m proud to say I’ve been able to turn my mental effort around from a very easy person to break down mentally to I feel I’m one of the toughest out there now.”

Ryan Harrison got off to a tremendous start to the 2018 season, reaching the final at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp. But after that, the American won just 10 of his next 25 matches. That momentum has turned right around this week in Atlanta.

Harrison beat Australian Open semi-finalist and reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Hyeon Chung 6-7(3), 6-2, 7-6(5) on Friday to reach the last four at the BB&T Atlanta Open.

“This is exactly what the doctor ordered for me,” Harrison said on court after the match. “It was a little nervy from both of us there at the end, but I’m really happy to get through.”

It is the 26-year-old’s fourth trip to the semi-finals at the event, and he is trying to reach the championship match for the second consecutive year (l. to Isner in 2017). Harrison will next face second seed Nick Kyrgios, whom he lost to in Brisbane, or Brit Cameron Norrie.

While Chung did not push through in his first tournament since the Mutua Madrid Open, the South Korean advanced to his eighth tour-level quarter-final of the season.

German Mischa Zverev won all three of his matches against American John Isner in 2017. But Isner is in the best form of his life, and the 33-year-old’s confidence shone in the BB&T Atlanta Open quarter-finals on Friday.

Isner beat the seventh seed 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 to extend his record in Atlanta to 29-4, evening the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry at 3-3.

As expected, it was a service battle on Stadium Court, with both players needing just a break each to split the first two sets. The match came down to a deciding set for the fourth straight meeting in their series. But this time, the result was different.

Isner, who lost just two first-serve points in the clash (38/40), won all but three of his service points in the third set and broke twice to advance after one hour, 37 minutes. The 13-time ATP World Tour titlist did a good job pressuring the serve-and-volleying German by putting sharp returns back in play. And an immediate break in the third set — Zverev couldn’t handle a half volley — allowed the former University of Georgia student-athlete to loosen up and play some of his best tennis in front of the home crowd.

The American is now two victories from lifting his fifth trophy at the ATP World Tour 250-level tournament, with his four previous triumphs on the Georgia hard courts coming in the past five years. Isner is trying to win multiple titles in a campaign for the sixth time in his career.

Read Isner Feature: ‘The Dawgs Are Barking For Me’

The 6’10” right-hander is at No. 9 in the ATP Rankings, after reaching a career-best World No. 8 last week thanks to his run to the Wimbledon semi-finals. He also claimed his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title earlier this season at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

Isner will next face fourth seed Matthew Ebden, who cruised past Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-3, 6-2 in 72 minutes. The Aussie is into his second tour-level semi-final of the season, adding to his trip to the last four at the Libema Open (l. to Chardy).

Ebden began 2017 at No. 695 in the ATP Rankings due to injury, but is at World No. 55 this week after reaching a career-best No. 43 last week. He is pursuing his first ATP World Tour title,  

The 30-year-old has not dropped a set this week, saving the only break point he faced to oust Baghdatis. The former World No. 8 had won their only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting six years ago in a final-set tie-break at Sydney.

Isner has won three of his four FedEx ATP Head2Head matches against Ebden, but the Aussie defended his home turf with a four-set victory at this year’s Australian Open. The pair also met last year in the final of the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open, Ebden’s lone tour-level championship-match appearance, with the American coming out on top in straight sets.

Did You Know?
Isner has advanced to at least the semi-finals in each of his nine appearances in Atlanta. The American’s record at the tournament in the last four is 7-1, with his only loss coming in 2012 against Andy Roddick.

Leonardo Mayer got the better of fellow Argentine Diego Schwartzman on Friday to keep alive his bid for a third trophy at the German Tennis Championships 2018 presented by Kampmann.

Mayer knocked out second seed Schwartzman 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in two hours and 14 minutes for a place in the semi-finals. The deciding set featured six breaks of serve, but it was 2014 and 2017 champion Mayer who gained control for his 18th victory of the season.

Schwartzman, who lifted the biggest trophy of his career in February at the Rio Open presented by Claro (d. Verdasco), falls in the Hamburg quarter-finals for a second time (also 2014).

Mayer goes onto play Slovakian qualifier Jozef Kovalik, who overcame qualifier Thiago Monteiro of Brazil 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 earlier in the day. Read More & Watch Three Hot Shots

Later today, top-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem takes on Nicolas Jarry of Chile and third-seeded Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta faces Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili in the quarter-finals.

Marach/Pavic Reach Doubles Final, Qualify For Nitto ATP Finals
Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic advanced to the Hamburg doubles final on Friday to become the first team to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 11-18 November. Read More

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The top seeds came back to beat Marcus Daniell and Wesley Koolhof 2-6, 6-4, 10-7 in just over 90 minutes for a place in their 12th team final (5-6 record).

Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos will take on Ben McLachlan and Jan-Lennard Struff in the other semi-final on Saturday. Peralta and Zeballos edged their quarter-final against fourth seeds Pablo Cuevas and Marc Lopez 6-7(10), 6-4, 10-8 in two hours.

Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic become the first players to clinch a spot at the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals, to be held 11-18 November at The O2 in London. The No. 1 team qualified for the elite eight-player, eight-team field for the first time by reaching their eighth final of 2018 on Saturday at the German Tennis Championships 2018 presented by Kampmann.

The Austrian and Croatian served as Nitto ATP Finals alternates in their debut season last year, making their team debut at The O2 when they stepped in on the final day of round robin play to defeat Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan. Marach previously qualified for the tournament in 2009-10 alongside Lukasz Kubot.

“For me, it’s the best tournament in the world,” said Marach. “People in London are great and I love to play there. I had some of my best matches in London, such as the 2017 Wimbledon final, although we lost it, and I was at The O2 in 2009 and 2010. So I’m very happy to qualify again.”

“It’s a big thing and we have qualified quite early,” said Pavic. “For sure it takes the pressure off. I remember last year when we were fighting for London around Nos. 8-9-10 at the end of the season, we always had our eyes on the [ATP] Doubles Race To London. It was a great experience to play there last year as alternates. It was a goal to be there this year and we’re looking forward to it.”

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Marach and Pavic, who respectively celebrated their 38th and 25th birthdays earlier this month, made an impressive start to their 2018 campaign. They went undefeated through January, with titles at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open and the ASB Classic before claiming their maiden Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open. They extended their winning streak to 17 matches before a loss in the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament final (l. to Herbert/Mahut).

The second-year duo won their fourth title of the season at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open, the same week that Pavic rose to become the youngest No. 1 in the ATP Doubles Rankings since Todd Woodbridge in March 1976. Marach and Pavic also reached clay-court finals at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters and Roland Garros.